I was browsing good old FARK this morning, and came across two articles that give us an opportunity to bitch and moan about politcial correctness.  Again.  You know you love it!

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York U. prof takes stand on holidays

A Jewish York University professor said the cancellation of classes on religious holidays - most notably Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - is "illegal, discriminatory and arbitrary" and plans to cancel future classes for any religious holidays his students observe.

Historian David Noble said the issue of York's policy to cancel classes for the Jewish high holidays - the only faith singled out by the Steeles Avenue and Keele Street university to do so - arose last year when his class was discussing church versus state institutions.

"The issue came up about York University being a state institution and I explored this and discovered to my surprise the cancellation of classes on religious holidays is illegal," he said, adding the University Act expressly prohibits cancelling classes for religious holidays. "This is not about Jewish holidays. The university also cancels classes on Good Friday but the problem with Good Friday is that it's a statutory holiday. The only holidays York University itself deemed special are Jewish holidays."

For the past 40 years, York has cancelled classes on the Jewish high holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah was observed last Tuesday and Wednesday and Yom Kippur begins Wednesday at sundown.

Noble said he wrote a letter to York's president Lorna Marsden last September regarding his findings and was directed to the university's senate, who he said refused to examine the disparity between York's practice of holding classes on Jewish holidays and the law.

"Since no action was being taken I would take that action myself," said Noble, calling it his "civil obedience".

Noble, who has taught at York for 15 years, said he was threatened with disciplinary action and also received threatening phone calls from anonymous callers and decided to reverse his stance.

"Rather than hold classes (on religious holidays), I decided I would cancel classes for other religious holidays," he said, adding he plans to cancel two classes for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr in November, which celebrates the breaking of the fast of Ramadan. "I'm not an expert on world religions but in my class, I see the religions of the world. I asked my students if they could identify their holidays of significance and I will cancel classes on those days."

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And for dessert

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Blackadder's revenge hits the hate bill

THEY are calling it the revenge of Rowan Atkinson, the comedian famous for his role as the scheming Blackadder.

This week members of the House of Lords are set to clash with the government over its proposed Racial and Religious Hatred Bill, vociferously opposed by Atkinson and many others as a threat to freedom of speech.

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“We are hoping the peers will give the bill even more of a trashing than Blackadder gives Baldrick,” said one campaigner. Government sources fear that Labour peers will join an alliance of Tories, Liberal Democrats and cross-benchers.

The bill, which extends current laws against incitement to racial hatred to protect people of all faiths, has already been defeated in parliament three times. Opponents say it could potentially be used to prosecute anyone criticising or mocking a religion.

Supporters of the bill say it will prevent people being “victimised” because of their faith. Ministers say it will end the anomaly whereby religious minorities such as Jews and Sikhs are already protected — because they are also racial groups — but not Muslims.

The proposed bill has been denounced by human rights groups and others as a “dangerous new blasphemy law”. Stephen Fry, the actor, said the plans were unworkable and not needed. “Religion, surely, if it is worth anything, doesn’t need protection against anything I can say,” he has said.

Yesterday Baroness Cox, a Tory peer, said: “There is also concern the proposed law may increase tensions between communities rather than reduce them.”

She points out that a similar law introduced in Australia has led to the prosecution of two Christian pastors. Many Muslims there now regret the introduction of the law, fearing it might rebound against them.

The implications for comedians are serious. Lord Garel-Jones, the Tory peer, pointed to Monty Python’s satire on Jesus, The Life of Brian.

Under the proposed law, if someone accused the makers of inciting religious hatred, they might face prosecution.

“I want us to be able to make things like that,” said Garel-Jones. “I want not to lose the ability to make a similar film about Mohammed. That’s where my line lies.”

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Discuss