Jack Straw apologises after 200 Muslim prisoners given ham sandwiches during Ramadan

[WellAdvised]

It was set to be one of the highlights of the day when Muslim inmates at HMP Armley were told what food they would receive during Ramadan, their holiest month of the year.

To their surprise, the supposedly "halal" menu included ham sandwiches.

A quick word with the authorities at the category B facility in Leeds would have been enough to put the mistake right.
Instead, some prisoners complained, triggering a humiliating letter of apology from Jack Straw, in which he admitted a "regrettable administrative error" when the menus were printed.

The Justice Secretary has also ordered bosses at the prison to be more diligent and promised staff will be re-trained on prisoners' cultural and religious needs.

But there are now concerns the incident could bolster a separate civil action by 16 Muslim inmates at the jail who claim they were the victims of racial harrassment and mistreatment.

Yesterday, the Prison Officers Association condemned the complaints about the menus as a storm in a teacup.

Vice chairman Steve Cox said: "There is a big difference from giving a Muslim a pork pie and laughing at his religion and making an honest mistake.

"But because of criticisms in the past there is a huge, politically correct system now that just doesn't have any leeway.

"We work in a world of litigation and prisoners are the best at litigation."

A prison insider added: "The timing was perfect for the inmates claiming racial harrassment.

"It was a straight-forward mistake but I'm sure it will all go into a big folder that will be presented at court."

The row broke out in October last year during Ramadan - the ninth month of the Muslim calendar during which the Koran is said to have been revealed.

Daytime fasting is observed during the period.

While two options on the menus - which were handed to 200 Muslim inmates - were acceptable, one inadvertently offered the meat-filled sandwiches.

Ham, pork and all other meat from pigs is strictly forbidden in the religion's diet.

A complaint from a local city councillor to local Labour MP Hilary Benn led Mr Straw to send a personally signed letter to Mr Benn, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

It said: "A regrettable administrative error occurred at Leeds prison in the printing and distribution of special Ramadan pre-select menu cards, meaning that inappropriate menus were handed out to some prisoners.

"The governor accepts responsibility for this error and apologises for any offence caused to the Muslim community."

He has advised staff to be more diligent and to take more care to ensure errors are not repeated.

"Additional local management checks and staff training will be introduced to the prison before Ramadan 2008."

Kabeer Hussain, the Independent councillor who made the complaint, yesterday said the apology was a move "in the right direction".

He added: "I hope these unfortunate errors can be avoided in future."

But Kate Maynard, who is representing the Muslim inmates in the alleged racial harrassment case, claimed the incident was clear evidence of the "underlying insensitivity" of the Prison Service towards prisoners' cultural needs.

The Prison Service offers 11 different religious and cultural diets to prisoners from different ethnic and faith backgrounds.

National faith leaders and organisations, including the Halal Food Authority, are consulted when putting together menus.

Imams are also invited to inspect food preparation and storage facilities to ensure they comply with the religious code.

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: "Nothing inappropriate was actually offered to Muslim prisoners. They were not handed ham sandwiches on a plate."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...=1770&ito=1490

[MP_Steve]

I'm not Muslim, or even religious, but I go out of my way to avoid eating pork. There's just something about eating pigs that doesn't seem right.

I just think pigs are disgusting animals. And on the off chance that I do eat pork, I try not to think about it too much.




(I do eat just about every other socially acceptable type of meat, just not pigs :p )

[Red Hand]

(I do eat just about every other socially acceptable type of meat, just not pigs :p )

Leave your sexual and social preferences where they belong MP Steve ;):D !

[mxwelch]

I'm not Muslim, or even religious, but I go out of my way to avoid eating pork. There's just something about eating pigs that doesn't seem right.

I just think pigs are disgusting animals. And on the off chance that I do eat pork, I try not to think about it too much.




(I do eat just about every other socially acceptable type of meat, just not pigs :p )

What?? You've never had a good cured ham or pork sausage just right with a little spice have you?

Norm is going to be upset with you Steve.:p

[Norm357]

I'm not Muslim, or even religious, but I go out of my way to avoid eating pork. There's just something about eating pigs that doesn't seem right.

I just think pigs are disgusting animals. And on the off chance that I do eat pork, I try not to think about it too much.




(I do eat just about every other socially acceptable type of meat, just not pigs :p )

You Sir, are quite insane.

[Drummadude]

Yeah, well, MP-Steve, the reason that Jews do not eat pork is because it is a filthy animal. Though I don't practice any religion, my mom is Jewish and doesn't really make pork that much but I've grown to dislike it.

Pork chops are gross. I even had elk meat, which I've only eaten once in my life, and as a completely foreign meat to me, I liked it better than pig.

Though, maple or honey cured ham is delicious and cannot be passed up at the deli.

[Norm357]

Yeah, well, MP-Steve, the reason that Jews do not eat pork is because it is a filthy animal. Though I don't practice any religion, my mom is Jewish and doesn't really make pork that much but I've grown to dislike it.

Pork chops are gross. I even had elk meat, which I've only eaten once in my life, and as a completely foreign meat to me, I liked it better than pig.

Though, maple or honey cured ham is delicious and cannot be passed up at the deli.

You are quite insane also. :eek:

[Red Hand]

There aint a more beautiful sight than grease running from a fat pigs arse at a barbeque !:D;)

[Creeker]

... There's just something about eating pigs that doesn't seem right.

I just think pigs are disgusting animals. And on the off chance that I do eat pork, I try not to think about it too much.

(I do eat just about every other socially acceptable type of meat, just not pigs :p )

Maybe its because certain aspects of swine are similar to humans? Their body skin is quite often used in testing to simulate human... among many other things.

Whatever... can I have yours? Its the Other white meat... :D

[Lawson]

I read these posts as I gobble down a ham bacon and sausage with egg and cheese sandwich :D

[WellAdvised]

Vincent Want some bacon?
Jules No man, I don’t eat pork.
Vincent Are you Jewish?
Jules Nah, I ain't Jewish, I just don't dig on swine, that’s all.
Vincent Why not?
Jules Pigs are filthy animals. I don't eat filthy animals.
Vincent Yeah, but bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste good.
Jules Hey, sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I'd never know ‘cause I wouldn't eat the filthy !@#$%^&*. Pigs sleep and root in ****. That's a filthy animal. I ain't eatin' nothin' that ain't got sense enough to disregard its own feces.
Vincent How about a dog? Dog eats its own feces.
Jules I don't eat dog either.
Vincent Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal?
Jules I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy but they're definitely dirty. A dog's got personality. Personality goes a long way.
Vincent Ah, so by that rationale, if a pig had a better personality, he would cease to be a filthy animal. Is that true?
Jules Well we'd have to be talkin' about one charmin' !@#$%^&*. I mean he'd have to be ten times more charmin' than that Arnold on Green Acres, you know what I'm sayin'?
Vincent: [laughing] That's good.

Now the thread has gone weird it seemed appropriate.

[Creeker]

Speaking of filthy animals, it makes little sense to me that people see a pig as filthier than a chicken. If chickens had access to slop, they'd be eating it, too.

...and don't even get me started on bottom feeding water food. I spent many a day wishing I'd never seen my first floater and all of the crabs, shrimp, etc. who wouldn't stop feeding until they got the body into the morgue... they are the buzzards of the sea.

I used to love tapapia, too... until I saw the Dirty Jobs episode in which he worked at a Bass or Trout farm in Arizona, which sold fish commercially to the markets. What did they raise? Along with the other fish, they raised and sold Talapia, which eat the other fish waste.

Can't go wrong being a vegetarian can you?... unless you realize that farmers use fertilizer which is either directly or indirectly either cow or chicken manure... :rolleyes: ... not pig manure, though... :p