The Tesco Express in Neasden Lane where a customer was refused service because a till operator was ‘fasting for Ramadan’
This particular story really should be filed under the heading ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’. A Tesco till worker in Neasden, North West London refused to serve a customer with ham and wine because the till worker was fasting for Ramadan.
The Kilburn Times said:
“A supermarket giant has issued an apology after a Muslim worker refused to serve a customer buying ham and wine saying he was fasting for Ramadan.
Julie Cottle, has lodged a complaint with Tesco after the employee at the manned till inside the Express branch in Neasden Lane, insisted she use the self-service checkout.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar when Muslims, who are strictly forbidden from consuming alcohol and pork at all times, fast between dawn and sunset.
Mrs Cottle told the Times: “He pointed at the ham and wine in my basket and said ‘I can’t serve you that because I’m fasting’.
“When I told him he should be serving customers not turning them away he still refused telling me to go to the self-service.
“I was furious.”
When Mrs Cottle, a mother-of-three, complained to the manager she said he backed the worker.
“He insisted I use the self-checkout but said he would pass on my complaint,” she said.
“I’m disgusted. If he is refusing to do his job he shouldn’t be there.”
Mrs Cottle said after calling customer services when she got home she was told the worker could face disciplinary action.
She added: “I hope he does. If he can’t serve food he shouldn’t be working in a supermarket.”
A spokesman for Tesco said: “We’re here to serve our customers the products they choose to buy. We don’t have a specific policy and take a pragmatic approach if a colleague raises concerns about a job they have been asked to do.
“We apologise to our customer for any inconvenience on this occasion.”
It is right that Tesco’s have apologised but this situation should never have arisen in the first place. If you work in a shop then you should sell what the shop sells, no exceptions.
What this Muslim shop assistant has done is an example not of integration or ‘diversity’ but an example of the extreme arrogance both of some Muslims and the ideology of Islam itself. How dare he think that he could impose his own religious and political views on others or think that the customer should submit to them. What is worse is how the manager of the Tesco Express shop in Neasden Lane backed the errant worker. Why did they do this? Are they Muslim? Do they approve of such bullying arrogance by the till worker? Were they backing the till worker because they fear the reaction from local Bearded Savage Muslims? Whatever reason they had for backing this worker is not good enough. The customer, not the arrogant worker should have been put first.
It is important to note as a side issue here that Tesco’s is becoming all too Shariah Friendly in its business practices. The large Tesco’s at Seven Sisters and Lea Valley in North East London have had large parts of their meat counter devoted to something called ‘The National Halal Centre’ for a while now. It is ironic to consider how Tesco, a company started up by person whose family had come to Britain fleeing oppression, can pander to those who wish to impose Shariah oppression on all of us. The pebbles placed on the grave of Jack Cohen, the founder of Tesco, must be flying off in all directions at the news that the company he founded is pandering to the Jew hating ideology of Islam. Islamic arrogance is something that is sadly, not made up.
Ramadan is nothing to do with the rest of us and our only interest in it is in remarking how Islam’s death toll rises during Ramadan. This is Islamic arrogance in action and it is an arrogance that should not and must not be tolerated. If we tolerate Muslims thinking that they can get away with stuff like this, then what will be the next outrageous demand? I’ve been doing some thinking and I cannot think of any other group whose members would behave like this. A Jew would take a day or so’s leave for Yom Kippur and a vegetarian Hindu or vegan Jain would probably, if they were very devout or observant, choose not to work in an environment that served meat and would work elsewhere.
Yet again we have experienced the arrogance of Islam and those who follow this ideology. Yet again we have seen line management back the unreasonable demands of Islam over the legitimate rights of the consumer. This is not the first time that a representative of the ‘Religion of Special Needs’ has acted like this and I dare say it will not be the last. It is actions like this that show the non-Muslim population just why Islam the ideology is not to be trusted or assisted or appeased. One concession is never enough, one Islamic whine listened to is never enough. What next, closing the shop to accommodate Islamic prayer times?
It is right that countries have freedom of belief and freedom of conscience and it is Britain’s tolerance and freedom that has attracted many over the centuries to this land to work and to contribute and to live in peace, most notably the 19th century German immigrants of which there were many. However many of those who have come here in the past took the correct view that ‘the law of the king is my law too’. The supremacist attitude of the Muslim till worker is the complete antithesis of that golden rule that it is not for the minority to dictate terms, it is for minority to comply with the culture of the majority and to not impose minority religious rules on everyone else.
It’s time to slap down these excessive demands with the statement ‘When in Rome….’ If there was any justice then this ‘dead weight’ Muslim employee should be sacked and look for another job. I’d like to think that this sales refusing Muslim till worker is just a lone nutter, but sadly I don’t think that he is alone is his nuttiness.
Link
Original story from the Kilburn Times
Addendum:
Just in case the paper decides to censor it’s comments page, as often happens when the story relates to the ‘religion of blowing to pieces’ here are the comments from the Kilburn Times received on this story up until 09:30 GMT.
On the face of it, it sounds to me that something needs to be done about this. Tesco at least need to ensure this never happens again, and be firm about it. The whole thing of “I can’t sell you that….” for WHATEVER reason should be dealt with swiftly. If anyone claims special religious “freedom” they need to be told it does not apply.
There is one thing I don’t get about this though. Why is he sitting on a till during Ramadan if he’s refusing to sell food and drink? Or was it specifically the ham and wine, and he could sell other food? If so, what’s that got to do with fasting?
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Hey this is typical of Tescos ‘service’ overall. I and others have complained about our local at Wichmore Hill and despite the platitudes nothing ever improves. Top management needs to change.
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Fasting? Why do religious people thank their god for the food they get and then refuse to eat it?
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Here in the U.S. you can find any number of news stories about christians working in pharmacies who refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control because it’s “against their religious beliefs”. Religious whackadoodlery isn’t limited to muslims, stop pretending that it is.
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John Matthews ScottS • 29 minutes ago
well said, its unfortunate that in the UK there is a rise of anti-muslim bigotry we should be supporting moderate muslims not taring them all with a thick brush.
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Jesper Both Pedersen John Matthews• 8 minutes ago
Same here in Denmark.
Nationalism always gets a kick out of a common enemy.But the muslim dude at Tesco and his employer should consider if his religion isn’t impairing his ability to perfom his duties.
Take the month off or go look for another job, imo.
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Jeremy Maccelari • 40 minutes ago
Shocking! I hope Tesco fires the worker!
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I asked a hijab wearing checkout girl in Waitrose what she thought about selling alcohol and pork and she said she’d asked her imam who said that since she wasn’t actually consuming them, it didn’t matter. Not all Muslims are nutters. This bloke should be sacked, though.
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IncredulousMark zumbruk • 14 minutes ago
All Muslims believe an angel talked to an illiterate dude in the desert among other nonsense. Ergo, they’re all nutters. Some are just more annoying or dangerous than others.
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Jesper Both Pedersen IncredulousMark• 5 minutes ago
Same goes for all other religious people, then.
SlideRulePirate . • an hour ago
Can’t sell a customer ham or wine because he’s fasting. Was he being asked to consume the stuff himself?
I once had a muslim colleague who was apparently very proud of his father’s position with the mosque. After work he’d be in the pub knocking back bacardi. Very islamic indeed.
He’d through a sicky when eid came around in order to man a stall outside the mosque. Let’s face it, his job was only something to do when he had nothing better on. Simply dead weight.
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Boycott Tesco!
What happened to customer service? Its completely ridiculous to allow staff to pick and choose what they sell.
This person took the job under FALSE PRETENSE knowing full well the decisions he would make!!
Ron Munro of Australia • 10 hours ago
Never hire a muslim ..
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Judy Garforth Ron Munro of Australia• 9 hours ago
I would never hire one either Ron – they have so many idiosyncrasies because of their so called religion – they should only be employed by fellow muslims
Steven Martinez Ron Munro of Australia• 9 hours ago
I truly hope that no one ever blows you for the rest of your life. You bigoted motherfucker.
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Keith Weinman Steven Martinez• 4 hours ago
Steven, you are an idiot – take your threats elsewhere. Ron is correct, and to state the truth, although unpleasant, is not being bigoted, rather it is being pragmatic.
don’t employ a muslim only problems, plus I think they make things up as they go along
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David Daisy May Boldock • 2 hours ago
Working under false pretences then, but then again all they do is false!
Perhaps all Christian employees of Tesco should refuse to serve the halal meat they sell.
