Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Islam in the air - British Airways and prayers in flight

Sitting in a British Airways (British Mediterranean) plane in business class on the way to Kazakhstan at the invitation of the government I was interested to follow the flight map... every 30 seconds a picture of Mecca appears with an arrow directing people on the plane which direction to pray in. The same airline recently tried to ban a staff member from wearing a small cross around her neck as a symbol of her Christian faith. We are seeing a great sensitivity to the culture of Muslims and many steps being taken to facilitate their devotional lives, but at the same time Christians are being systematically marginalised both in secularised nations and also in Islamic nations. Expect a growing reaction by Christian radicals who will insist on equal respect for their own world view and religious practices.

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