Alton Towers

[Rookie (Rodney)]

I would like to bring it to your attention that on Sunday September 17th Alton Towers will be closed to everyone apart from Muslims.

Alton Towers staff will ensure there is no music, the bars will be closed and the entire park will adhere to Sharia Law. This of course is racist and discriminatory against the rest of the citizens of Britain.

Yes this is a private and corporate event but it is a case of exclusion for Britons on our own soil.

Could you imagine if I approached Tussauds (Alton Towers) with a view to making a corporate booking where Muslims were unwelcome then they would almost certainly refuse my business as they would be terrified of being branded as "corporate racists".

I cannot understand how this booking was made or even considered myself?! What if the shoe were on the other foot? Im pretty sure there would be protests all over the show!

[Claw75]

Presumably it has been booked out for a private function?  Therefore the public aren't allowed in - nothing unusual there.  Who cares what religion/colour etc the people attending the function are - presumably Alton Towers can book themselves out for exclusive use to anyone they like?

It's not a case of non muslims being 'unwelcome', just those that aren't invited to the function.

If Madame Tussaudes made a corporate booking for a company which happened not to employ any Muslims, you could equally say Muslims would be unwelcome, but that's not quite the case is it?  Anyway, I'm sure we wouldn't even hear about it!

Sorry if this is a bit of a disjointed post, but reading stuff like this really gets me wound up.

[Gryff]

Off to my local mosque tomorrow to get my muslim card, a free day out at alton towers? bargain!

[Claw75]

Off to my local mosque tomorrow to get my muslim card, a free day out at alton towers? bargain!

that's just the point - muslim or not you still won't get in if you're not part of the private group!

[mikkyT]

 its a "muslim integration day" to help muslims integrate into British society (be seperating themselves from it  >:?)

Alton Towers are helping them to do this by:

Allowing only women OR men onto the rides at any one time, in strict rotation.
Closing all bars and clubs within the theme park for that day.
Requiring that any female theme park patron wear appropriate dress, keeping all parts of body except the face covered up. The face rule was relaxed as many muslims in Britain do not cover their faces anyway.

Now, there happens to be a wedding booked in the alton towers hotel this very same day, that was booked a couple of years ago. The weding party has been told it must adhere to these rules or change their booking.

edited: removed the words "its not a private booking and corrected the spelling of integration

[Sark79]

I don't agree with things like this.  This is another small example of something which only adds to the growing divide between people in this country.  The World is becoming a crazy place and it is only going to get worse.  I am afraid to think what Britain will be like in twenty years time.  There should be no individual rules/laws/practices for groups in this country, we should all abide by one set of rules.

Why does religion always have to come into everything?   If you watch the average news show, over half the stories will be related to religion.  In recent times this has been mostly directed at Muslims. 

If they did away with things like this, we may be able to live in harmony one day.  I feel if they don't, the growing problems Britons are experiencing are only going to get worse.  In the 21st Century you would think two groups could coexist.  It seems like both groups almost want there to be problems

[Newmanseye]

This seems to be getting a bit close to the bone, As claw rightly says, this is a private function, in a similar way to a company renting a hotel out for a full corporate function.

An example would be if a company like "corporate Express" rents out Alton towers, as they did recently, they had Corporate express music played, banners from the company and the CE flag was flown at the gates.

As it happens the public was not permitted to use the facilities on that day and only people from the company and Tussuad's were allowed on site to use the facilities.

Just because the religion is different we should not be bitter or accuse of raceism.

[mikkyT]

This seems to be getting a bit close to the bone, As claw rightly says, this is a private function, in a similar way to a company renting a hotel out for a full corporate function.

Its not a private function. If you want to go, you pay the entry fee as usual. But you adhere to the rules of the day.

Crap, sorry! It is private but its double booked

[Trace]

I hope it p*sses it down all day!

[Newmanseye]

Well if its not a private function, its certainly a chance to sample a different culture, if you decide its not the right day to visit Alton towers then fair play, dont go and go back the next day.

Its hardly a crime to try something different.

[mikkyT]

Just a few clippings from the news article, whose link is also included

Couple's wedding clashes with Muslim fun day
By Nigel Bunyan
(Filed: 12/07/2006)

A couple's plans for a £5,000 wedding at Alton Towers were thrown into confusion yesterday after it emerged that the theme park had double booked them with a fun day for 20,000 Muslims.

Amanda Morris, 30, and her fiance, Scott Lee, 31, have been told that if they go ahead with the ceremony they will not be allowed to go on celebratory rides together.

Furthermore, Miss Morris and her female guests will have to cover up to be in line with guests of Islamic Leisure wearing hijabs. "I've been looking forward to this day for 18 months, and suddenly it's in ruins," she said yesterday.
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"The people with Islamic Leisure want their day as much as we do. I don't blame them at all. But Alton Towers shouldn't have done this. They should at least have rung us to discuss it."

Miss Morris, a recruitment sales advisor, and her fiance, a market trader, booked their wedding in the Emperor's Suite last year.
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At the time they made the booking the only date available was Saturday, Sept 16. They were happy to accept it, believing that they and the 60 guests for whom they had booked 20 rooms would be able to enjoy the following day on the rides.

Since then, however, Alton Towers have hired out the complex for its first Muslim fun day.

Believing that they and their own guests had the complex almost to themselves, Islamic Leisure drew up a list of requirements.
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These included the provision of prayer areas and bans on music, alcohol and gambling. In the Muslim tradition, women would also need to cover their bodies, as well as going on rides separately to their menfolk.

The couple have since contacted Islamic Leisure, whose staff confirmed that the wedding party would be asked to adhere to their conditions.

Yaseen Patel, the organisation's director, confirmed: "The body will have to be covered, (though) they do not have to wear the hijab."

An Alton Towers spokesman said staff would be discussing "the options available" with the couple.

She claimed it was a condition of the Islamic Leisure booking that wedding and hotel guests would be exempt from the Muslim dress code.

Now that says it all.... after contacting Islamic Lesuire, they won't compromise. The wedding party has to cover up and forget the beer.

Maybe I was wrong about the public bit. But theres still a conflict here.

[NoflopsHomer]

1 day in a year! What an outrage.

[Trace]

I'm sorry but you (hopefully) only ever get married once in your life.

This is a bloody outrage.  I feel so sorry for the Engaged Couple.

Actually, I am completely f***ing disgusted.

[Trace]

Yaseen Patel, the organisation's director, confirmed: "The body will have to be covered, (though) they do not have to wear the hijab."

HAVE to?  HAVE to? Who the **** is she to say what someone has to do?

[Lee]

1 day in a year! What an outrage.

I agree, especially for 1 day in a lifetime!!