Orange suspends employee for “Islamophobic” definition
A conservative employee of Orange has been suspended after complaints about an article he published on a blog. Conservative Home carried a “Leftie Lexicon” written by Inigo Wilson which, among other typically Tory and not-very-funny “definitions” included this one:
Islamophobic – anyone who objects to having their transport blown up on the way to work.
and this:
Palestinians – archetype ‘victims’ no matter how many teenagers they murder in bars and fast food outlets. Never responsible for anything they do – or done in their name – because of ‘root causes’ or ‘legitimate grievances’.
This caused the dribbling Allah-struck loons of the Muslim Public Affairs Committee to have a minor fit. Several of them telephoned and emailed Orange until Wilson was suspended. Said an Orange spokesman
We take the opinions of our customers very seriously and believe that this matter warrants further investigation. We have therefore suspended an employee while this investigation takes place.
Now, Inigo Wilson may be a Tory twat with a underdeveloped sense of humour, but what he writes on a blog in his own time is surely no business of his employer. And the fact that a few calls from a bunch of religious maniacs has meant he is now in danger of losing his job is rather worrying.
(Via Pickled Politics)
UPDATE: It appears that Wilson’s suspension may not have much to do with the infantile whinings of the MPAC goons after all. Sunny at PP reveals that Wilson had a consultancy role at Orange which required him to liaise with local communities and convince them that it was ok to have a mobile mast in their neighbourhood. Here is his “Lefty Lexicon” definition of “consultation”:
a formal system for ignoring public views while patronising them at the same time. London’s Congestion Charge for instance.
If this was reflective of his attitude to his job, Orange are within their rights to reconsider his position.
A “community affairs spokesman” should know better !
I found his comments about palestinians racist !
I’ve just been having a look at Muslim Public Affairs Committee site. Not only do they seem to be mentally handicapped and suffering delusions about supreme beings, but on top of all that they seem to be stuck at the mental age of about six or seven years. Why oh why did they close all the asylums?
Racist they may or may not be, but don’t you think it’s a problem that one’s employer can dismiss you for something done OUTSIDE of work?
I’ve noticed a growing trend towards employers thinking they have the right to decide what you can and can’t do outside of contracted hours.
This “trend” has been around for 26 years that I know of! So it’s hardly new.
Employers CAN dismiss you for acting in some manner that they don’t agree with because you are a representative of theirs. This is BULLSHIT of course, but in the law is on their side.
What we need to do is stop kowtowing to Muslims and religious in particular then this “scope creep” as it’s called would not happen. (Scope creep is when a legitimate law is applied to something far and away different from what was intended. The Endangered Species Act in the US is a good example.)
Pity you can’t work it in reverse, say if you worked for BAA and found their behaviour of aiding shipments of bombs via prestwick to the middle east a tad distasteful.
Anyone else visit the torybollocks site in question?
I would always argue that Mr. Jones should be free to say whatever he likes on his own time..but why-oh-why-oh-why couldn’t he at least be AMUSING??
eg: (all direct cut & pastes. Any spelling, grammatical, or factual errors are entirely his own)
“Fascism/Nazism – apparently the ‘opposite’ of Socialism – despite sharing party members, ideology and – in National Socialism – the name.”
“‘Green’ issues – “if we can’t control the means of production then we’ll close it downâ€. NB. the US is the ‘biggest polluter in the world’ which is wholly unrelated to the fact it’s the world’s most productive economy.”
“Impartial – media, BBC: the balance achieved by attacking the Opposition for being Conservative and attacking the Government for being insufficiently Lefty.”
“Intolerance – Intolerance can only committed against certain defined groups of people. These do not include, Americans, the middle class, white manual workers, rural people, business and Christians obviously.”
& of course, the old chestnut again:
“Religion –
* Christianity: irrational, dangerous belief that material things may not be the principal motive behind human behaviour.
* Judaism: most Israelis are Jewish, so probably ‘intolerant’.
* Islam: always needs to be ‘understood’.”
Orange are clearly a wunch of bankers, and MPAC dribbling “our-supernaturalism-gives-us-moral-authority-over-you-ALL” eejits, but you’d think that the tories could at least find someone funny?
Oh God, another one giving it the old fascism-socialism canard. If your research only extends as far as looking at the name of the party, forgive me if I don’t trust you as an authority on the matter. You’re right, Andy – those are wretched.
Religious nutters of all types are a danger to us all. Because the religious nutters on this occasion happen to be muslims, we are suddenly treading on eggshells and crying “racism”. Bollocks. Islam is a religion, not a race. The London bomber, Germaine Lindsay, was a convert of West Indian origin. At least one of the religious nutters currently under arrest (OK, on grounds that most of us still need to be convinced about) is of white British origin.
I totally agree with you Neil. I’m sick and tired of hearing different news services reporting things against muslims as racist. I heard it again on crapitol radio news this morning at work, regarding the daubing of graffiti on one of their worship buildings in Swindon.
Muslims are a religion NOT A RACE.
Islamaphobia is a cry used by some Muslims to try to silence and censor non Muslims who criticise their beliefs. The same way some Christians use blasphemy to try and silence and censor those who criticise Christanity. There are some Muslims who believe that we should just agree with everything they say or else be labled an Islamphobic. That includes saying that killing gays is ok.
Not really suprising considering he’s a tory anyway
Re: Islamaphobia
A phobia is a fear of something, generally held to be irrational. But is it really “irrational” for people to fear being blown up on an aeroplane or in a train ? Is it “irrational” to fear the prospect of having “Sharia Law” imposed on you and/or your children, and the possibility of getting whipped for drinking a pint of beer ?
Personally I think not. One has to take a look at the lifestyle IMPOSED on people living in countries where Islam is the principle religion. Even in Turkey where they genuinely try to embrace secularism in government, they still have problems.
This isn’t about race. It is about fear, of other peoples repressive ways being imposed on those who do not want them, and in a free country should not have to fear this.
I simply do not see why people cannot speak openly about such fears. Especially fear of those people who believe in something which I view is about as plausible or likely as the Man in the Moon, or the Tooth Fairy. IE a man in the sky with a long grey beard.
I do not fear the people of Islam. I fear their beliefs, and the extremes of what they stand for , and what they might wish to see imposed on me, and my family if they had their way, and I would gladly be reassured by them that I am wrong in my beliefs, about what could ultimately happen. But when I read about Anjem Choudary, and his statement that “he looks foward to the day when the Black Islamic Flag falls over Downing Street..” well that sends shivers down my spine…
Phobia ? No I don’t think so.
Fear ? You can bet on it.
Dan wrote, ‘There are some Muslims who believe that we should just agree with everything they say or else be labled an Islamphobic.’
You have only to look at the Islamophobiawatch blog to see evidence of this, Dan. You probably have. I haven’t looked in on it for some time, so have forgotten its’ URL (although it shouldn’t be hard to track down), but it’s well known for shouting ‘racism’ or ‘Islamophobia’ (to its authors those words are synonymous) at anyone who expresses an inkling of an iota of criticism of Islam and it’s seventh-century attitudes.
On a lighter note, am I the only one who has life of brian flashbacks when I see footage of irate muslim groups?
“He’s not the messiah, he’s a very naughty boy, NOW GO AWAY”
Dan wrote, ‘There are some Muslims who believe that we should just agree with everything they say or else be labled an Islamphobic.’
See also the way in which anyone who questions Zionism is a closet Nazi.
I find it easier to refer to the whole lot of them as god squadders
The very same thing happened to an employee of the Disney Store some time ago when she handed in a petition to the local council protesting against the first Leicester Mardi Gras. This time, it was a handful of sad homosexuals that saw fit to call her workplace with threats which resulted in a 6-month suspension whilst they investigated. I would be interested to find out whether mediawatchwatch would condemn this threatening behaviour in the same way as they have condemned the recent threats. I would hope so, since harassment for one’s beliefs or for simply handing in a petition to the local council should surely not be tolerated.
I would be interested to find out whether mediawatchwatch would condemn this threatening behaviour in the same way as they have condemned the recent threats.
Yes. MWW would.
Must have been a Mickey Mouse petition.
What did the gays threaten to do anyway.. come round and criticise her curtains?