brummie Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Apparently there are loads of Muslim Newcastle supporters. Alan Shariah was their favourite player. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Spurs_from_Africa Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Apparently there are loads of Muslim Newcastle supporters. Alan Shariah was their favourite player. Brummie, that was truly shocking. You should be ashamed at making a joke of such poor quality. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parky Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 I was going to post this in General Chat but then opted for here, as it is non NUFC, but raises an interesting point in general, i think. Mods - please feel free to shift to Chat if it should have gone there. As you'll have noticed if you've been there, Villa Park is in an area with a very large Muslim population (which was previously an area with a large Afro Caribbean population, and before that an area with a large Irish population, in the way that cities change). The Afro Caribbeans and Irish played a role in the history of the club over decades, providing both fans and players, but the Asian (and Muslim in particular) community hasn't The club have finally cottoned on to the idea that it might be an idea to try and encourage more muslims to the ground (we do have a lot of Asian match attending fans, but not so many Muslims I expect). So, for the last game, they mailed a number of households in the Aston and Witton areas, offering them cheap tickets for the game, limited to 1000 seats. These seats were the lower tier of the away end, so 500 Bolton fans in the upper tier, and these tickets in the lower. The interesting bit is that as part of the experiment, the club publicised the fact that in this area of the ground, there'd be no alcohol on sale, and Halal food would be available. The result was interesting, 900 people took the club up on the offer and came to the match. That's probably 900 people who'd never have thought about going to watch PL football before. I was interested to hear what you think of that as an idea, as there are a lot of other football clubs with grounds in Asian communities, and football is still a sport which they don't largely get involved with. It struck me as an excellent idea (I'm thinking in terms other than the usual football reference point of money, but in terms of including other sectors of society in the game), and something other clubs might want to look at. Leeds iirc had a fair few campaigns of this type in the 90's inc taking a larger role in community football and giving trials to Asian players. iirc Harpal Singh was one of the products of this initiative. I have some friends in Aston and one of them has played (Jasvinder) for your U21/ Youth setup and still can boast to be the only player airlifted out of a game at Villa Park (horrific knee injury). I could always see this kind of thing working in your neck of the woods. Good sound people. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parky Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 whats aston like as an area, i was thinking of going there for uni. i always thought aston villa wsa the posh side of birminghma? Its not a nice place. Birmingham city centre and its ameneties and attractions have been completley revitalised in the last few years and make its centre as good as anywhere, but the signs of urban decay and division of the communities in the suburbs including Aston make it a horrible place imo. Aston University isn't in Aston, it is in the city centre, brilliant location (just PMed you, Chris) All big cities have rundown areas, and Aston is certainly that. There are lots of suburbs like Sutton, Solihull, Harborne, Edgbaston which are anything but run down. But that's a different topic Edgbaston is lovely. Used to live there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hameed Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 I'm a muslim and I try to travel every year from Bahrain to catch a couple of games, I would never sit in a muslim seating area, I'm a geordie I sit with other geordie's and sing my heart out for the lads, have a seperate section is stupid, I understand in this case it was a one off thing to get new fans, but I'm sure nobody would be that daft in having a special muslims area in the stands! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brummie Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 I'm a muslim and I try to travel every year from Bahrain to catch a couple of games, I would never sit in a muslim seating area, I'm a geordie I sit with other geordie's and sing my heart out for the lads, have a seperate section is stupid, I understand in this case it was a one off thing to get new fans, but I'm sure nobody would be that daft in having a special muslims area in the stands! Good stuff, but I don't know how many times I have to say this, it was *not* a muslim seating area. It was an area of the ground where no booze is served (like the family section and - I believe - the away end) but also where Halal food was available. The attenders could sit there or elsewhere. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sniffer Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Keep at it Brummie. Eventually it will get through to them. Probably around the tenth page or about September. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newcastle Fan Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 I'm a muslim and I try to travel every year from Bahrain to catch a couple of games, I would never sit in a muslim seating area, I'm a geordie I sit with other geordie's and sing my heart out for the lads, have a seperate section is stupid, I understand in this case it was a one off thing to get new fans, but I'm sure nobody would be that daft in having a special muslims area in the stands! I'm not the only Newcastle fan here Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
magpie418 Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Good stuff, but I don't know how many times I have to say this, it was *not* a muslim seating area. It was an area of the ground where no booze is served (like the family section and - I believe - the away end) but also where Halal food was available. The attenders could sit there or elsewhere. This is a very interesting thread, but maybe you should edit your OP to mention what you have above? I don't think i'm the only one who was a bit confused at first Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzzieMandias Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 The main thing this thread proves is that bigots are dense. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thespence Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 I'm a muslim and I try to travel every year from Bahrain to catch a couple of games, I would never sit in a muslim seating area, I'm a geordie I sit with other geordie's and sing my heart out for the lads, have a seperate section is stupid, I understand in this case it was a one off thing to get new fans, but I'm sure nobody would be that daft in having a special muslims area in the stands! I'm not the only Newcastle fan here Bahrain Geordie boot boys If either of you 2 are Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa or are even releated to him any chance you can help Mike Ashley out with a few quid so we can rebuild the team. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggio Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Apparently there are loads of Muslim Newcastle supporters. Alan Shariah was their favourite player. There was a picture on here a few years back of a fake Newcastle shirt from Thailand with "Sheewa" on the back, no bullshit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brummie Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Good stuff, but I don't know how many times I have to say this, it was *not* a muslim seating area. It was an area of the ground where no booze is served (like the family section and - I believe - the away end) but also where Halal food was available. The attenders could sit there or elsewhere. This is a very interesting thread, but maybe you should edit your OP to mention what you have above? I don't think i'm the only one who was a bit confused at first That's a good point, I did indeed cloud the issue a bit. I've edited it now. Ta! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Apparently there are loads of Muslim Newcastle supporters. Alan Shariah was their favourite player. Actually Brummie,Sunderland is the club that Muslim folk support closest. They all follow the Shi'ite. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross magoo Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 I was speaking to a Muslim friend about something similar to this the other day. He's not really big into all the religious stuff but he attends mosque, doesn't drink, obeys the rules etc because for him it's about his and his family's honour in a community which can be quite judgemental at times. Keeping your "honour" is also quite an important motivational factor for young men in a religion where arranged marriages are commonplace i'd imagine, although maybe some of our Muslim posters can clarify. I think the problem is the way that football in the UK is seen to be a part of a wider drunken, promiscuous yob culture and it wouldn't surprise me if that put a lot of Muslims off or even if it was discouraged by some Muslim parents. It might also go some of the way to explaining why (certainly where I live) Muslims are almost non-existant in low paid manual blue-collar factory type jobs that are mainly dominated by men who spend most of their day boasting about how many pints they drank on Friday, the size of the tits on the bird they shagged on Saturday and the state of the guy they kicked the s*** out of on Sunday. It's a cultural thing in my opinion. I would say arranged marriages are a lot rarer in Islam than you would be made to believe, seeing as they are specifically banned in the qur'an. Those that have arranged marriages often have them due to culture rather than religion. I think you have a very valid point though. In my short life so far, I have been able to see many national teams play at home, including the likes of Egypt ( quite good ) and SA ( rubbish). In Egypt for example, the people are football mad, the biggest club in Egypt and indeed Africa has about 50 million fans within Egypt and you will see tens of thousands of men and women go to both national team games and al-ahly games. Yet, the Egyptians I know in England are reluctant to attend footie matches in England, and I'm guessing your views on the assosciation with hooligan and drunken culture are spot on. Going a bit off topic here but I suppose it depends on your interpretation of an arranged marriage. Only one of the Muslim guys I know is married but he always keeps his family life really close to his chest that way. Of the Muslim girls I knew from university and work, most of them got married and the ones I spoke to about it all said pretty much the same thing along the lines of "It's not like an arranged marriage or anything, it's just a guy that my parents picked out for me and we took it from there". It kind of amazed me that they were married less than a year after meeting the blokes. I guess nobody outside the Muslim community really knows for sure just how much pressure is put on young Muslim adults to marry the person that their parents "pick out" for them. Pardon my ignorance if i'm wrong and I know that you find manipulative parents in all walks of life but it just struck me as being a trend particularly popular among British Muslims as opposed to the rest of us. Anyway, probably a whole new thread. Sorry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phil K Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 An interesting idea - but easier to do thus with Villa than at Newcastle, I believe. But I find the preferential treatment of people because they happen to be muslim repulsive and the kind of thing I'd expect to read in the PC rags like The Grauniad or the Islamist (sorry - the "Independent") or this stinking glove-puppet-to-the-PC-lobby Labour Government (or misgovernment, rather) and I've voted Labour all my life - til now. Sorry....off on a rant. These sort of subjects have a bad effect on me..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gleebals Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 The food thing - Aye. The no drink thing - no The cheap tickets - Fuk off, no one should be getting special treatment because of their race or religion. They either like the way its done, however adding a menu for them is a great idea, but apart from that why should football grounds change the way they work for religion? There is no place for religion in football, putting them together is a horrible idea. I'd rather have Muslims attending with us next to me and around me than in a section of their own. Horrid, sorry. The Country need a wa to break the segregation, not create more. Completely agree Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooj Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Football in itself is a religion! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
magpie418 Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 I find the preferential treatment of people because they happen to be muslim repulsive You haven't read the thread, have you? These sort of subjects have a bad effect on me..... That's alright, just watch the door doesn't hit your arse on the way out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzzieMandias Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 An interesting idea - but easier to do thus with Villa than at Newcastle, I believe. But I find the preferential treatment of people because they happen to be muslim repulsive Luckily that's not what the thread is about, then. Sorry....off on a rant. These sort of subjects have a bad effect on me..... Yeah, your brain seems to turn into mush. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 An interesting idea - but easier to do thus with Villa than at Newcastle, I believe. But I find the preferential treatment of people because they happen to be muslim repulsive and the kind of thing I'd expect to read in the PC rags like The Grauniad or the Islamist (sorry - the "Independent") or this stinking glove-puppet-to-the-PC-lobby Labour Government (or misgovernment, rather) and I've voted Labour all my life - til now. Sorry....off on a rant. These sort of subjects have a bad effect on me..... Considering there are now third generation muslims living in Newcastle, with parents born here, don't you think it's a good idea to encourage them to support Newcastle as their local football team? Alternatively they could be advised to fuck off and support Baghdad by tell-it-straight tabloid readers... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest marky555 Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 In my opinion it seems to promote (unintenionally) segregation. I agree with alot of others comments, Can they not go to the match and not drink anyway and sell Halal food next to the normal food at the match? They'll never intergrate if they have their own areas. Bit silly really. Whether those who purchased a ticket have taken up the option because its a cheap seat or whether its due to the fact it has appreciated the muslim norms remains to be seen, but I personally dont think it is necessary. In the globalised society we live in, we should account for all races, religions etc. in every area of the ground. By offering such an option is, in my opinion, giving in to racism, whereby those who are not of the majority are offered such an option. I'm not saying this is intentional, and the fact there is a large numner of muslims within the Birmingham area, and the fact the game in question was Bolton (no disrespect), this was clearly a marketing ploy in order to make more money. However, I feel such a move gives the indication of an assumption that the muslim fan is not welcome in all corners of the ground. Dont get me wrong, there are people who would not welcome the muslim religion into football in this country, racism is an issue that is evident within all aspects of society, and there is a minority of football fans who are racist. It is something that will be very difficult to eradicate. However, the segregation that has been discussed will in no way help to get rid of such a problem, but (in my opinion), will only be detrimental. I know its taking it out of context, but its like having a nightclub night that is preferred for people of certain a certain race or religion. I understand race and religion are different issues but i feel in the circumstances they are a similar issue. Such a move could be viewed as simply giving in to the fact that those from different cultures, religions, races etc. will never be fully accepted into the supporters 'club', and in my opinion, i feel the decision to offer access of this kind to muslims is simply unnecessary. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RowanB Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Ban religion. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
magpie418 Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 1. Offering cheaper tickets to people living within the local vicinity of the ground, mostly working class areas = Good 2. Offering cheaper tickets to a certain section of that local population based on colour/beliefs etc = Bad I take it in this case it was the first option, but due to there being a large amount of muslims living in the area covered, they were kind enough to offer halal food. Or maybe I'm being slightly naive to what are just business interests. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 We are apparently giving away tickets to ex-alcoholics and drug-addicts for the derby on Sunday and will be giving four season tickets for next season. We are giving them to the social services who hands them out to those who are actively trying to end their addiction in a move to integrate these people back into society. I read this in a Swedish paper, they are quoting the Daily Mail as their source, I had a (very) quick look on their site, but didn't find anything. http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/fotboll/england/article2274895.ab is the link to the Swedish article. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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