I was tipped to this by reader David from the Libertarian Alliance.

Islamic workers at Sainsbury's who object to alcohol on religious grounds are told to raise their hands when encountering any drink at their till so that a colleague can temporarily take their place or scan items for them.

Other staff have refused to work stacking shelves with wine, beer and spirits and have been found alternative roles in the company.

Sainsbury's said this weekend it was keen to accommodate the religious beliefs of all staff but some Islamic scholars condemned the practice, saying Muslims who refused to sell alcohol were reneging on their agreements with the store.

Islam states that Muslims should not consume alcohol, but opinion is divided on whether it is permissible to be involved in the sale of it.

Mustapha, a Muslim checkout worker at the company's store in Swiss Cottage, northwest London, interrupts his work to ensure that he does not have to sell or handle alcohol.

Two words, Mustapha: You're fired.

Why on earth would you take a job somewhere when you know full well that you are prohibited from doing an integral (heck, in Britain, it's near mandatory) part of it. That would be like me applying to be a pilot, and then telling them I can't be forced to fly because I'm afraid of it.

David forwarded me a letter that Sean Gabb (also of the Libertarian Alliance) sent to Sainsburys:

Monday, 08 October 2007

Philip Hampton
Chairman
J. Sainsbury plc
33 Holborn
London EC1N 2HT

Dear Mr Hampton,

I am writing to object to your policy of allowing some Moslem employees to
opt-out of serving your customers by scanning alcohol products despite
assurances by the Moslem council of Britain and various other Islamic groups
that this is not a requirement of Islamic law. This policy was reported in
The Sunday Times on the 30th September 2007

As a Sainsbury's customer I feel offended that I may be served by a
Sainsbury's employee who, for his own personal reasons, feels that my
purchases are "unclean" and refuses to handle them. Furthermore, I am not
willing to be delayed at your store in order to accommodate the prejudices
of your employees.

I am further concerned that your decision on this issue will lead in future
to your allowing other groups of your employees not to serve me with pork,
beef, meat products, toiletries tested on animals, condoms, Christmas cards,
books of Bible stories, imports from Israel, or anything else they may
insist they do not like.

Therefore I will no longer shop at any of your stores until you reverse this
decision.

I look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Sean Gabb

Sean, I can almost guarantee that Sainsbury's does not give a flying fart about your well thought out letter. You see, Sean, you are white, and as such, your demographic is dwindling. Soon enough most grocery outlets in Britain will not even sell liquor, lest they offend they bulk of their new demographic. It's called dhimmitude, Sean. Free market dhimmitude. And we're damned if we do or if we don't.

Labels: Alcohol, Dhimmitude, Sainsbury's, United Kingdom