Of course Fitness USA would cave in. It's exactly what I expected.

jihad gym.

Posted by: ranoir at April 28, 2006 12:31 PM

Of course Fitness USA would cave in. It's exactly what I expected.

jihad gym.

Posted by: ranoir at April 28, 2006 12:31 PM

"We hope all of our female members will be pleased...."
-- from the happy-chat accompanying the waving of the White Flag

No. What if some of those "female members" like the idea of exercising with men? Perhaps the gym is not only a gym but a place to meet people, a possible husband perhaps? It's hard enough these days. A Good Man Is Hard To Find. You know, you always get the other kind?

How dare this gym decide to make life even more difficult for Western women who do not have all the hours in the day to meet mates, what with the disappearance of those clubs and church socials and informal matchmaking that used to go on.

This is unfair. Fitness USA must be given to understand that while it has retained 200 Muslmi women, it has lost -- well, let's see how many people do not renew their memberships when they expire.

Those who wish to express their displeasure, so that similar things do not occur in other gymnasiums, should not renew, where possible, their membership in this gym. They should, where possible, seek out other gyms. The YMCA facilities are often excellent -- I recommend them, or fail to sign up in the first place. And remember, you must make known exactly why you are not joining, would not consider joining unless there were no alternative, or are now going to let your membership lapse. That kind of resopnse has to be clear, as a warning to other businesses inclined to appease.

Posted by: Hugh at April 28, 2006 12:42 PM

First it's voluntary, then its mandatory.

First, they sell it as a courtesy to women, to protect their modesty.

Then it becomes policy, then it becomes mandatory

Then the concept of separating men and women becomes "normal"

Then it becomes mandatory.

Then women live in ghettos.

This is a power move for Islam, nothing more nothing less, bit by bit, our freedom closes down smaller and smaller, even here in the U.S.A.

Posted by: Athena at April 28, 2006 12:45 PM

If fitness USA promised its customers to provide separate facilites for men and women, then it should: 1.) do so, or 2.) provide full refunds. It's like halal meat. As long as I am not compelled to buy it, it's fine if a business decides to sell it. I'll go where I want and eat what I want. It only becomes a problem when a religious group ( and I mean any religious group) attempts to force me to abide by their standards.

Posted by: MP at April 28, 2006 12:56 PM

"Separate but Equal"

Lunch counters are next

Posted by: Mr Ape Pig at April 28, 2006 1:15 PM

"No. What if some of those "female members" like the idea of exercising with men?"

Perhaps it is they who should have joined a gym that does not advertise, on its website, separate excercise facilities for women at all of its locations.

If the women had requested or demanded separate days or facilities for Muslim women only, then yes, I would protest that. But is the Michigan situation really one of creeping shar'ia? Or is it one in which Muslim women demanded that the facility honor its commitment?

Posted by: PRCS at April 28, 2006 1:22 PM

"Separate but Equal"
Lunch counters are next
Posted by: Mr Ape Pig

Then will come women having to ride in the back of the bus, and seperate water fountains for men and women, and then women won't be allowed to vote or walk around town without a male relative.

Giving in to muslims will be the death of the USA.

Posted by: CelticCoyote at April 28, 2006 1:23 PM

What's next for these stupid women, is, they will become prisoners in their own homes and they will lose any rights they didn't realize they had when they started this ignorant and unholy campaign.

But, they deserve it. They bit the hand that feeds them, and they were too ignorant to see that it wasn't just for their rights to be segregated, it was their muslim man's rights to have her segregated.

You're not very bright.

Posted by: freewoman at April 28, 2006 1:24 PM

If the women had requested or demanded separate days or facilities for Muslim women only, then yes, I would protest that. But is the Michigan situation really one of creeping shar'ia? Or is it one in which Muslim women demanded that the facility honor its commitment?

Posted by: PRCS at April 28, 2006 01:22 PM

It will be interesting to see the next step. My guess is separation from non muslims but it's only a guess.

Posted by: dms at April 28, 2006 1:38 PM

Say it, All together now,
Dhimmi Fitness USArabia

The wolverine state? More like the ostrich state or the lamb state.

Cowards!

Posted by: Ironman Hondo at April 28, 2006 2:15 PM

dms,

In truth, I would welcome such an action on their part, as such an outrageous demand would, IMO, result in great public outrage.

Posted by: PRCS at April 28, 2006 2:24 PM

The point here is that there are fitness clubs strictly for women, the muslim women went to a club that was co-ed (at least some areas), they say they were "promised" that there would be days when women could work out without men being present, however I read that the company said that this was not in the contract, verbal promises (if they were made) do not hold up like a written contract would. These women knew very well that the fitness club was at least partially co-ed and chose to take out a membership there and do their best to force the club to comform to their beliefs about "modesty" instead of simply going to an "all women" facility. If I want to go out for a nice quiet dinner, I do not go to chuckEcheese and demand quiet and candles. This is one very small step to see just how far we can be pushed.

Posted by: USAgirl at April 28, 2006 2:59 PM

If fitness USA promised its customers to provide separate facilites for men and women, then it should: 1.) do so, or 2.) provide full refunds. It's like halal meat. As long as I am not compelled to buy it, it's fine if a business decides to sell it. I'll go where I want and eat what I want. It only becomes a problem when a religious group ( and I mean any religious group) attempts to force me to abide by their standards.>/b> Posted by: MP

You mean like the Kosher tax passed on to consumers by major producers so they can put the kosher certified symbol on their products., from Alcoa Aluminum Foil, to Ivory SNow, Brillo and Tabasco sauce..

Posted by: Nariz at April 28, 2006 3:21 PM

Someone should open a co-ed gym in the same neighborhood (preferably right next door). They could call it the Freedom Center.

Posted by: Mr Ape Pig at April 28, 2006 3:23 PM

Having a barrier that separates men and women might be preferred by other non-muslim women. My wife prefers to go to Curves because it is all women. She has had some unpleasant experiences in co-ed facilities when young ignorant males made disparaging remarks about letting middle aged (41yo) women into gyms. Unfortunate as it is, she will not go back to a coed gym with me because of ignorant jerks.

Posted by: SailormanCGA72 at April 28, 2006 3:38 PM

USAgirl:

Re: “verbal promises (if they were made) do not hold up like a written contract would.”

Actually, a verbal contract is just as enforceable. The only problem is corroborating the agreement in absence of witnesses. Of all the problems caused by Muslims, this is the least that I will get upset over. The club I belong to for the longest time had a separate exercise facility reserved for women although it was seldom used. The overwhelming majority preferred using the larger co-ed facilities.

Posted by: johnb at April 28, 2006 3:40 PM

TERROR ALERT STATES.

There are various alert states in force all around the world because of the threat of terrorist action. Some are formal and initiated by government and some are informal.

For example, here in Britain on our exceedingly unofficial, informal, four-level alert state, the level has just been raised from ‘miffed' to ‘peeved’. This leaves us two higher levels, of course, namely ‘irritated’ and ‘a bit cross’. It’s worth noting that the British people haven’t been ‘a bit cross’ since the blitz of 1940 when supplies of tea almost ran out. (The terrorists themselves have been recategorised from ‘tiresome’ to ‘a bloody nuisance’. The last time ‘a bloody nuisance’ level was reached was in the Great Fire of London in 1666.)

The French government announced yesterday that it had raised its terror alert state from ‘Run’ to ‘Hide’. This came about because of a fire that destroyed France’s only white flag factory, effectively paralysing their military capability. The only two higher levels in France are ‘Surrender’ and ‘Collaborate’.

It’s not only the French who are on a higher level of alert. The Italians have increased their alert level from ‘shout loudly and excitedly’ to ‘elaborate military posturing’. This leaves them their two higher levels, of course, of ‘ineffective combat operations’ and ‘change sides’.

News is just coming in that the Germans have increased their alert status as well. They’ve gone from ‘arrogant disdain’ to ‘dress in silly uniforms and sing marching songs’. It’s worth noting that the next two levels for them are ‘invade a neighbour’ and ‘lose’.

Sweden, for what it’s worth, is still to make up its mind, when someone can find it, about moving from ‘demand even-handed treatment for all’ to ‘petty-foggingly demand even-handed treatment for all’. Strangely, or maybe not, the Swedes only have one higher level of alert after this – ‘whinge on to everyone about the loss of Finland’.

It’s reported that the Pentagon may follow Europe’s lead and raise the American alert status from ‘the war is over’ to ‘find another oil rich nation ripe for regime change’. It is not known, as yet, whether or not they will contemplate going higher, say to ‘attack’, or ‘insist the British help’.

Meanwhile, here in the UK the government has officially moved from ‘pretend nothing is happening’ to ‘make another cup of tea’. Oddly, or, again, maybe not, we have three higher levels – ‘remain resolutely cheerful’ and ‘win everything except the cricket’ and ‘insist the Americans help’.

With thanks to all who sent this to me,

Dominic.

Posted by: necessitasnonhabetlegem at April 28, 2006 4:29 PM

What if some of those "female members" like the idea of exercising with men? ... A Good Man Is Hard To Find...

As Mae West nearly said. But she wasn't thinking of female members.

Posted by: Interested at April 28, 2006 5:00 PM

Concern for modesty leads to segregation:gyms, swimming pools, emergency rooms, soon buses and taxis, trains and cars and finally public restaurants as in Saudi Arabia.

If businessess are foced to create separate facitlities for women, what they are really doing is participating in a hyper-sexualization of women.

When the female body is "hyper-sexualized" then every aspect of it, is subject to taboos called "modesty" rules. This rules requiring separation by barriers, by clothing, by physical distance eventually become separation by walls and the prison is complete.

Islamization is a very brilliant and sly campaign, I have to give it to them.

Posted by: Athena at April 28, 2006 5:52 PM

The antithesis of what pionieering women atheletes fought for

Pioneering women athletes like Billy Jean King fought for women to be treated with respect "as athletes" and not a a member of some weaker sex subject to special rules.

Billy Jean King and others in other sports fostered respect for the strength and grace of a strong and active female body and COMPLETELY rejected the concept of hyper-sexualization that leaves women cloistered behind fabric barriers, physical barriers, and walls.

It is not an accident that Muslims have congregated in Dearborn. First they have to acquire critical political mass in some area, then they can start pushing for Islamization.

Posted by: Athena at April 28, 2006 5:54 PM

'It's like halal meat. As long as I am not compelled to buy it, it's fine if a business decides to sell it.' from MP, above.

It's not as simple as that, for several reasons.

1. The Halal method of slaughter is particularly unpleasant, and can typically involve several minutes of agony for the animal being slaughtered.

2. Much of the meat produced by Halal slaughterhouses, mainly the hindquarters, is still considered unclean, and is then (in the UK at least) sold on as non-Halal meat. Under UK law it does not even have to be labelled as to origin. So, MP, you may be eating Halal meat without knowing.

I think Halal slaughter should be banned, and import of Halal meat should also be banned, not just in the UK but in all civilised (i.e. Western) countries.

No-one should be allowed to treat animals like that, particularly not in MY country!

Posted by: Aardvark at April 28, 2006 6:48 PM

Sorry everyone. I posted my humourous (I hope) post about terror alerts on the wrong thread by accident. I meant to put it on the Swedish thread, for obvious reasons.

Sorry.

Dominic.

Posted by: necessitasnonhabetlegem at April 28, 2006 7:09 PM

Dominic

Great post.
-------------------------
Ardvark posted: The Halal method of slaughter is particularly unpleasant, and can typically involve several minutes of agony for the animal being slaughtered.

Something lie a beheading then, with acclaims of allahu ackbar ?

Posted by: DP111 at April 28, 2006 7:49 PM

Strangely and mysteriously one doesn't hear a sound from the women's lib movement. Could it be that the hijab is sooooo liberating that criticism is frowned upon?

Similar to the black muslims and all those human rights bleeding heart brigades who just can't give a stuff about the blacks being murdered & raped by the Janjaweed in Darfur. Where are the Sharptons and the Jesse Jackson's?

I guess we need more sensitivity training and more inter-faith 'dialogues...'

Posted by: sheik yer'mami at April 29, 2006 3:03 AM

Muslim women working out at Fitness USA in hijabs?

That ought to be a sight to behold.

Hey, give me a spot on the bench, would ya? Oh wait, let me adjust my headscarf.

Posted by: DCWatson at April 29, 2006 5:02 AM

Dominic

Thanks for posting "in the wrong thread" - I enjoyed reading it.

Posted by: FreeSpeech at April 29, 2006 11:32 AM

Holy hijab! What kind of lame lawyers does Fitness USA retain? A first year law student could have favorably settled this case.

Posted by: Lepanto at April 29, 2006 1:05 PM

A positive thing coming out of this is 'The Burka
Brigade actually want to exercise...'
I mean take off those tents and heebie jeebies and strut their stuff. A minor step, but a step forward nevertheless for these dames. Who knows, with increased muscle tone they might be able to beat up hubby when he suggests taking a new wife.
Even get interested in playing sport as Infidel women do. I say let 'em exercise and those who want Unisex gyms can easily set these up.

Posted by: Morgane at April 29, 2006 7:04 PM

The reason the women's movement doesn't speak out against the Muslims is because to do so is called "racist" in PC society and racism trumps sexism, ageism etc. in importance. That's why. If Islam were mostly practiced by whites, it would be a different story.

Posted by: corli at April 30, 2006 6:23 AM

Hello to everyone,

This is an interesting thread, seems as if anything goes. What do these comments have to do with seperate space in a gym but anyway I'm going to add my two cents.

Corli wrote, "If Islam were mostly practiced by whites, it would be a different story." What on Earth is a white person? By the way the US Government labels Arabs as whites and the majority of Muslims aren't Arabs. Anyway I am guessing that by "white" you mean European and European Christiandom, which destroyed the learning of the ancients because it was pagan and in the process created the so-called Dark Ages. My point is that skin pigment doesn't have anything to do with the way in which a religion is run.

Aardvark wrote, "The Halal method of slaughter is particularly unpleasant, and can typically involve several minutes of agony for the animal being slaughtered."

Do you eat meat of any kind Aardvark and if so which method of killing do you prefer or are you a vegetarian? If you do eat meat you should check out peta.org and for those of you with high bandwith you might want to check out petatv.org. It's pretty sick the way in which animals are treated that enter the food chain for humans including the methods of killing. I'll take living on the farm any day and doing it the old fashioned way, like a real man.

As for this issue of putting up frosted glass in the gym, I think that these women should just go and join Curves.

Posted by: daddyphil at April 30, 2006 8:12 PM