Discrimination Outrage At Bangkok Airport!

[Weho]

I was recently at Bangkok's new airport, and I noticed the sign "Muslim Prayer Room"... I find this discriminatory. We ALL pay the same price for airport fees, regardless of what our religion is, or if we don't choose to have a religion... YET one particular religion gets their own private rooms at Bangkok airport... (yes, I'm aware other airports have similar discrimination).

I look at this kind of room like a first class lounge, where one would pay a fee or have a membership to enter. That is, it's only open to those that pay for it... yet we ALL pay the same airport fees, and ONLY one religion gets their own private room for prayer/reflection at the airports. THis is so wrong on so many levels.

I don't mean to single out the muslim faith... I have equal distain for all religions, but that's just me... if there is a demand for a particular religion to have their own room, like there is a demand for a first class lounge, by all means, PROVIDE IT, but CHARGE those that use it separately, rather than make ALL of us pay.

I don't see any "Christian only prayer room", or "Only Jewish prayer room", or "Scientologists ONLY reflection room"... why is one religion given special treatment, at the expense of EVERYONE, even NON-believers?

There should be ONE room, and ONE ROOM ONLY, that is labeled something like "Reflection Room", open to all, where all are made to feel comfortable in entering.

If you label a room "Muslim Prayer Room", it's the same thing as saying "No Christians allowed", or "No Jews need enter", or "Get Out Tom Cruise and you wacko Scientologists". It's just wrong.

And it fosters hate and intolerance.

But what I object to most is that we are ALL FORCED to pay for this room, and many of us have no possibility of using it.

There should either be an entrance fee for those that want to use the room, just like a lounge, OR it should be open and labeled for all to use, including non-believers. Yes, even heathens pay the same airport taxes.

I have seen in some airports where Muslim people will do their prayers out in the open, in the airport concourse... I'm fine with this... if you don't like it, don't look... but to single out one religion for special rights, and not others, and not non-believers, it's just wrong.

[Mid]

why is one religion given special treatment, at the expense of EVERYONE, even NON-believers?

thought you may have fallen into this trap when I saw the title ,

look again , there are sections for Monks also .

[markr]

I was recently at Bangkok's new airport, and I noticed the sign "Muslim Prayer Room"... I find this discriminatory. We ALL pay the same price for airport fees, regardless of what our religion is, or if we don't choose to have a religion... YET one particular religion gets their own private rooms at Bangkok airport... (yes, I'm aware other airports have similar discrimination).

I look at this kind of room like a first class lounge, where one would pay a fee or have a membership to enter. That is, it's only open to those that pay for it... yet we ALL pay the same airport fees, and ONLY one religion gets their own private room for prayer/reflection at the airports. THis is so wrong on so many levels.

I don't mean to single out the muslim faith... I have equal distain for all religions, but that's just me... if there is a demand for a particular religion to have their own room, like there is a demand for a first class lounge, by all means, PROVIDE IT, but CHARGE those that use it separately, rather than make ALL of us pay.

I don't see any "Christian only prayer room", or "Only Jewish prayer room", or "Scientologists ONLY reflection room"... why is one religion given special treatment, at the expense of EVERYONE, even NON-believers?

There should be ONE room, and ONE ROOM ONLY, that is labeled something like "Reflection Room", open to all, where all are made to feel comfortable in entering.

If you label a room "Muslim Prayer Room", it's the same thing as saying "No Christians allowed", or "No Jews need enter", or "Get Out Tom Cruise and you wacko Scientologists". It's just wrong.

And it fosters hate and intolerance.

But what I object to most is that we are ALL FORCED to pay for this room, and many of us have no possibility of using it.

There should either be an entrance fee for those that want to use the room, just like a lounge, OR it should be open and labeled for all to use, including non-believers. Yes, even heathens pay the same airport taxes.

I have seen in some airports where Muslim people will do their prayers out in the open, in the airport concourse... I'm fine with this... if you don't like it, don't look... but to single out one religion for special rights, and not others, and not non-believers, it's just wrong.

555

Edited July 11, 2007 by markr

[JimmyTheMook]

Out of fear and disgust I'd rather not see Mohamed and Akbar bending over with their ass up in the air especially if I am flying so I am all for the prayer rooms.

[Weho]

why is one religion given special treatment, at the expense of EVERYONE, even NON-believers?

thought you may have fallen into this trap when I saw the title ,

look again , there are sections for Monks also .

Yeah, I've seen the special seating areas... but I suppose if say a Rabbi wanted to sit there, no one would complain, as long as the rabbi was in garb... or a priest in one of those Chalice things, etc... that's bad too, but a special room just seems worse to me. And believe me, please... if there were a sign like at Rome airport that said "Catholics Only", i would be EQUALLY outraged, no more, no less.

We all pay the same airport service fees, right? A religion is a choice.... like it's a choice to buy membership in the first class lounge.... you either pay it, or you don't... why does one religion get a free room? Muslims can, and should, use the public concourse hallways, just like all other religions do.

And I'm pretty sure that most Muslims would agree that this kind of special treatment is wrong.... if any Muslims happen to read this, I would be curious to know if you think it's unfair, and if you feel you are capable of praying in the public concourse, like everyone else that chooses to do so.

To me, Muslims are as reasonable as any other religion... no more, no less... Equal... let's all pay the same fees then.

[Jingthing]

Being a Muslim isn't always a choice. Malaysia Muslims are not allowed to convert under their law:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/30/...ious-Rights.php

I think the special rooms are a great idea. Not a bad idea to wire tap them either. And, yes, I am saying Muslim fundamentalists are the most likely group to be terrorists, because thats a fact, isn't it?

Edited July 11, 2007 by Jingthing

[Mid]

but a special room just seems worse to me.

I'd be willing to bet the majority agree with JimmyTheMook

edited to add

Not a bad idea to wire tap them either

snap

Edited July 11, 2007 by Mid

[Penkoprod]

Is there anything stopping a non-muslim person from going into this room, though

And i dont mean any taste issues, i mean is there someone barring us "infidels" from taking up space in there?

Penkoprod

[Weho]

Is there anything stopping a non-muslim person from going into this room, though

And i dont mean any taste issues, i mean is there someone barring us "infidels" from taking up space in there?

Penkoprod

Not at Bangkok, but maybe 15 years ago at another airport somewhere I don't even remember, I wandered into a "Muslim prayer room", saw that the room was empty, and figured it would be a great place for me to wait for my flight.... to have like a big private waiting room just for me... about 20 minutes later, some Muslim people came in, and ordered me OUT. well, i was just a twerpy punk at the time, and I obeyed... of course now, I wouldn't obey, as i would presume the room IS, in fact, "open' to all, but the reality is you're risking your life.

I say it's better to avoid these kinds of problems, and get rid of ALL religious rooms.

And people, the topic here isn't "DO I HATE MUSLIMS"... the topic is, in general, is this unfair taxation for NON-muslims? And what can we do about it?

[Jingthing]

Observant Muslims do have special prayer needs that are more extreme than other religions. They have huge numbers and they will not be denied. I am OK with the rooms.

Now if there was a religion called Wehoism and it involved needing to scratch your genitals every fifteen minutes while chanting, I said TERIYAKI SAUCE!, are you deaf?, while pointing your left ring toe towards Brooklyn, I would say, build the special rooms and ASAP!

Edited July 11, 2007 by Jingthing

[qualtrough]

And people, the topic here isn't "DO I HATE MUSLIMS"... the topic is, in general, is this unfair taxation for NON-muslims? And what can we do about it?

Not a ###### thing, so deal with.

[ajarnmark]

Being a Muslim isn't always a choice. Malaysia Muslims are not allowed to convert under their law:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/30/...ious-Rights.php

I think the special rooms are a great idea. Not a bad idea to wire tap them either. And, yes, I am saying Muslim fundamentalists are the most likely group to be terrorists, because thats a fact, isn't it?

Now you are wrong here. Its not just Muslim fundamentalists who are terrorists but all fundamentalists are terrorists. The biggest one could probably be Dubya (aka George Bush). To anyone God speaks, be Bush or Bin Laden, they created problem for all of us and made this world much more unsafer.

The world was much safer before 9/11 and it would probably be, had the Bush never attacked so foolishly.

Well, I dont see any reason for why not to keep a Muslim prayer room. You have to distinguish between Muslim prayers and non-Muslim prayers. To understand the difference, just think for a moment, when some of white guys goto their bargirls GF/Wife (what a joke in itself) they take off their shoes, whereas these sad fellas have never done this in their whole sad life. Why they should do this for a so-called uneducated, low life girl.

[meom]

Each to their own but I always thought muslims don't have to pray when they travel so no need really to have a prayer room in an airport.

[Humphrey Bear]

Each to their own but I always thought muslims don't have to pray when they travel so no need really to have a prayer room in an airport.

There are special prayers to start a journey.

If yiou travel Saudia, Etihad, Gulf Air or Qatar Air, as I have recently, you will have them recited over the PA system.

And of course it is common when hammering along the highways in Saudi to see cars pulling over to the verge and everyone getting out on to the verge and sticking their butts in the air.

Remember - these peoples' lives are dominated by their religion - they have little or nothing else.

That is what many other peoples do not understand. It is not a handful of terrorists, it is 800 million supporters that we have to worry about.

And WeHo - there used to be chapels in many European airports - maybe there still are - we are just not so dominated by our beliefs as many Muslims are.

Edited July 11, 2007 by Humphrey Bear

[Humphrey Bear]

WeHo - just remember that every day that we were building Suvarnabhumi Airport we had pork for lunch - thousands of us (20 baht for the main meal - you wou;ld have been impressed).

And all the bits and pieces that were left over for teeth-picking, spitting and other Thai construction worker habits are now incorporated in the concrete - even in the prayer room.

So <deleted> 'em!

[meom]

You could be right HB; I'm mixing things up, i knew there was something they would not have to do during travel and I must have been confused with fasting during Ramadan which they can interrupt if they travel or something like that

[Jingthing]

Being a Muslim isn't always a choice. Malaysia Muslims are not allowed to convert under their law:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/30/...ious-Rights.php

I think the special rooms are a great idea. Not a bad idea to wire tap them either. And, yes, I am saying Muslim fundamentalists are the most likely group to be terrorists, because thats a fact, isn't it?

Now you are wrong here. Its not just Muslim fundamentalists who are terrorists but all fundamentalists are terrorists. The biggest one could probably be Dubya (aka George Bush). To anyone God speaks, be Bush or Bin Laden, they created problem for all of us and made this world much more unsafer.

The world was much safer before 9/11 and it would probably be, had the Bush never attacked so foolishly.

Well, I dont see any reason for why not to keep a Muslim prayer room. You have to distinguish between Muslim prayers and non-Muslim prayers. To understand the difference, just think for a moment, when some of white guys goto their bargirls GF/Wife (what a joke in itself) they take off their shoes, whereas these sad fellas have never done this in their whole sad life. Why they should do this for a so-called uneducated, low life girl.

A matter of opinion and semantics. In my eyes, a Muslim fundy that blows up civilians is a terrorist. These days in today's world, most of these characters happen to be Muslim. Have you noticed that? Bush is an elected president who invaded a sovereign nation without justification, resulting in the deaths of perhaps hundreds of thousands of people. To me, that is a war criminal, not a terrorist. I would love to see him impeached, tried, convicted, and jailed but I won't hold my breath.

Edited July 11, 2007 by Jingthing

[Jimjim]

Who cares Weho? Mountain out of a molehill.

[Carmine6]

I was recently at Bangkok's new airport, and I noticed the sign "Muslim Prayer Room"... I find this discriminatory. We ALL pay the same price for airport fees, regardless of what our religion is, or if we don't choose to have a religion... YET one particular religion gets their own private rooms at Bangkok airport... (yes, I'm aware other airports have similar discrimination).

I look at this kind of room like a first class lounge, where one would pay a fee or have a membership to enter. That is, it's only open to those that pay for it... yet we ALL pay the same airport fees, and ONLY one religion gets their own private room for prayer/reflection at the airports. THis is so wrong on so many levels.

I don't mean to single out the muslim faith... I have equal distain for all religions, but that's just me... if there is a demand for a particular religion to have their own room, like there is a demand for a first class lounge, by all means, PROVIDE IT, but CHARGE those that use it separately, rather than make ALL of us pay.

I don't see any "Christian only prayer room", or "Only Jewish prayer room", or "Scientologists ONLY reflection room"... why is one religion given special treatment, at the expense of EVERYONE, even NON-believers?

There should be ONE room, and ONE ROOM ONLY, that is labeled something like "Reflection Room", open to all, where all are made to feel comfortable in entering.

If you label a room "Muslim Prayer Room", it's the same thing as saying "No Christians allowed", or "No Jews need enter", or "Get Out Tom Cruise and you wacko Scientologists". It's just wrong.

And it fosters hate and intolerance.

But what I object to most is that we are ALL FORCED to pay for this room, and many of us have no possibility of using it.

There should either be an entrance fee for those that want to use the room, just like a lounge, OR it should be open and labeled for all to use, including non-believers. Yes, even heathens pay the same airport taxes.

I have seen in some airports where Muslim people will do their prayers out in the open, in the airport concourse... I'm fine with this... if you don't like it, don't look... but to single out one religion for special rights, and not others, and not non-believers, it's just wrong.

Come on, the airport fee would be no different with or without this room.

Personally I am glad that when I travel there's no ACLU or political correctness to force everything to become generic. I like that they reserve some seats for monks (although no one ever gets up) and that there are Buddhist shrines all over the place, and Muslim Prayer Rooms. It's a big part of what makes travel interesting and people interesting. There's a sizeable Muslim population in Thailand so making the accommodation seems a decent thing to do.

[Lucifer]

Along the same lines...

Emirates take away a few seats to enable them to provide a prayer area for muslims. Thus increasing the airfare for everyone flying

on that plane. Now wether you're paying an extra £30 or 1p is not the point. It's the 'special' treatment Muslims get that upsets most people.

[endure]

Along the same lines...

Emirates take away a few seats to enable them to provide a prayer area for muslims. Thus increasing the airfare for everyone flying

on that plane. Now wether you're paying an extra £30 or 1p is not the point. It's the 'special' treatment Muslims get that upsets most people.

Emirates is based in a predominantly Muslim country. If you're not willing to pay the £30 Muslim subsidy you could always fly with BA or Thai and pay an extra £100 for your ticket.

[jumnien]

The worst is having to pay for the special rooms for nicotine addicts getting there fix and killing themselves. Why can't they just self-inject liquid nicotine until they get to their destination? Filthy...

[Carmine6]

Once again, I am glad there's no international ACLU and wave of political correctness in Thailand. Frankly when I saw it myself I thought it would be nice to have something similar for other faiths. But, I've never seen anyone in one of these rooms when I've checked them out, while I bet the Muslim Prayer room is used a lot.

Whatever the situation, probably high 90's % of people don't have any problem with this room, and I'm glad there's not going to be an expensive court case over it.

[lotus eater]

A few facts may throw some light on this.

Muslims constitute a sizeable minority of thais, and you see their presence as integrated parts of thai society all over the country. (Gen Sonthi is himself a muslim and rose to his position in the army as a practising muslim - in fact I remeber reading in the papers he rushed back from his pilgimage in Mecca when the spate of bombs went off in Bangkok.)

Secondly, all muslim civil servants get official holidays for their religious days - and for the hajj pilgimage to Mecca.

Buddhism and islam therefore have a status in Thailand that christianity, judaism or scientology do not not. Thailand has the prerogative to make its choices in the same way as other countries do and have chosen to do it for christianity or judaism - though admittedly not scientology. Lots of airports in those countries have rooms dedicated to the religions that have a certain importance to their citizens .

A lot of people on this and other forums who have a strong dislike of muslims seem not to realize that Thailand and thais do not share their feelings.

[sungod]

The worst is having to pay for the special rooms for nicotine addicts getting there fix and killing themselves. Why can't they just self-inject liquid nicotine until they get to their destination? Filthy...

Yawn.................

[tolsti]

Weho.... you obviously don't get to travel much do you?... most international airports have areas where Muslims can pray. A lot have chapels which are interdenominational and if you go to some countries such as Israel you'll only find places of religious worship that cater for the predominant belief. Get used to the fact that countries are different and may not cater for your ideas. For me it is all part of the experience that travel provides.

[bendix]

WeHo, you're losing your touch. This is one of your poorer efforts. Six out of ten.

[cdnvic]

WeHo - just remember that every day that we were building Suvarnabhumi Airport we had pork for lunch - thousands of us (20 baht for the main meal - you wou;ld have been impressed).

And all the bits and pieces that were left over for teeth-picking, spitting and other Thai construction worker habits are now incorporated in the concrete - even in the prayer room.

So <deleted> 'em!

A careful, that chip on your shoulder could cause you to stoop in your old age

[Weho]

WeHo, you're losing your touch. This is one of your poorer efforts. Six out of ten.

I'm so sorry that you were bored. Maybe you could post something interesting, you know, to show the rest of us how it's supposed to be done. We'll look to you as a role model.

and to the others:

1. agreed, George W Bush is a terrorist/war criminal

2. I am also troubled by hospitals that are affiliated with some religion, and have a big christian cross, or big jewish star on them. for what reason, I don't know. and in catholic hospitals, I think they even have a big cross in every room... not sure what it's supposed to do, other than make non-believers feel uncomfortable. as usual, it breeds intolerance and hate.

3. If i were on a flight, and on the PA system they blarred religious propaganda from ANY religion, I would then grab the microphone and recite opposing propaganda, just for some equal time.

4. the person who brought up the nicotine rooms made the most valid point... it's exactly the same situation as a free prayer room only for a certain religion. there should be a fee to use the nicotine room.

5. and to the person who felt the muslim prayer room didn't increase the airport fees, you have made probably the all time dumbest remark ever posted anywhere on the internet. congratulations. if that room costs the airport nothing, why not have a bunch of first class lounges, open to all, at no charge? puh-leese. you failed to understand the point that we ALL pay the same airport fee, yet some people are giving additional areas for their own private personal reasons.

6. yes, different cultures make travel more interesting, but should I be made/forced to subsidize things for others, like paying for muslim prayer rooms, when there are no other prayer rooms, or "reflection rooms", for non-believers/heathens like me?

[cdnvic]

6. yes, different cultures make travel more interesting, but should I be made/forced to subsidize things for others, like paying for muslim prayer rooms, when there are no other prayer rooms, or "reflection rooms", for non-believers/heathens like me?

Thailand is made up predominately of Buddhists and Muslims. There is a section for monks, and a prayer room for Muslims.

There is a section for non believers and heathens, and it charges an arm and a leg for a small Singha.