Sunday, May 6, 2007 | Reason : Wingnut News | print version

Unholy row at clergy soccer game

by BBC

Thanks to Simon Jones for the link.

Reposted from:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6628929.stm

A friendship-building football match between Muslim and Christian clergy in Norway was called off after a row over the participation of women players.

Muslim Imams had refused to play against women because it went against their beliefs about close physical contact with the opposite sex.

But when the church decided to drop its women players, the priests' team captain walked out in protest.

The game was meant to be an enjoyable end to a day-long conference in Oslo.

Members of the two faiths had been discussing ways of encouraging greater inter-faith dialogue at the "Shoulder to Shoulder" event.

'Wrong interpretation'

Church of Norway spokesman Olav Fykse Tveit said they had learnt of the imams' objections over the match two days before Saturday's conference.

"But because we thought it would be a nice conclusion of the conference we didn't want to call it off, so we decided to stage an all-men's team game instead," he said.

The decision outraged the women players in the Christian team, and prompted the captain to resign.

Just hours before the match, the church released a statement saying it had been called off.

"We realise now that it will be wrong to have a priest team without women," the statement said.

"The reactions we have had today shows us that this is being interpreted as a gender-political issue. This is why we cannot go through with the soccer match."

Mr Fykse Tveit said the outcome had not been solely negative.

"Both sides have learned to better understand our cultures and we have had an open discussion."

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1. Comment #38058 by MrEmpirical on May 6, 2007 at 10:07 pm

Another example of the Balkanising effect of religion.

Another example of how religion creates divides where they would not otherwise have been.

Another example of how religion creates distinctions on the basis of which nonsense you believe.

Other Comments by MrEmpirical

2. Comment #38066 by mdowe on May 6, 2007 at 10:34 pm

This is laughable when you consider the reality of women-clergy and Christianity -- still considered a non-starter in most branches of this religion. But they must take a firm stand when it comes non-mixed gender soccer games? Give me a break ....

Other Comments by mdowe

3. Comment #38069 by mbcraig11 on May 6, 2007 at 10:38 pm

I love this story. It is priceless.

I don't even know what to say.

Other Comments by mbcraig11

4. Comment #38070 by mbcraig11 on May 6, 2007 at 10:40 pm

actually I would like to say that I would love to see a game of full contact football between Team Imam and Team Priest.

I wonder what Team Imam would call the "Hail Mary" pass.

Other Comments by mbcraig11

5. Comment #38076 by Russell Blackford on May 6, 2007 at 11:16 pm

*Dies laughing.*

Other Comments by Russell Blackford

6. Comment #38079 by Quine on May 6, 2007 at 11:26 pm

I'd be laughing too, if the whole subject wasn't so sad.

Other Comments by Quine

7. Comment #38082 by MelM on May 6, 2007 at 11:47 pm

Well, I'm glad the women raised hell. To have been excluded just to indulge the irrational superstitions of Islam would have been disgusting in the extreme; that the church was willing to go along with the plan is truely disturbing--what could they have been thinking?

Mr Fykse Tveit:
Both sides have learned to better understand our cultures and we have had an open discussion.

I'm really grossed-out here. Since 9/11 he's not learned one damn thing!

Other Comments by MelM

8. Comment #38089 by Jolly Wally on May 7, 2007 at 12:16 am

It breaks my heart when the little kiddies don't play nice!

Other Comments by Jolly Wally

9. Comment #38090 by Ohnhai on May 7, 2007 at 12:26 am

Python couldn't have come up with anything better.

Comedy gold. --Sigh--

Would the Ref have been Atheist?

Other Comments by Ohnhai

10. Comment #38094 by Goshzilla on May 7, 2007 at 12:35 am

A rabbi, a muslim cleric, and a pastor walk into a bar. Five minutes later they walk out with no mutal respect or understanding for one another.

Other Comments by Goshzilla

11. Comment #38096 by Nails on May 7, 2007 at 12:47 am

actually I would like to say that I would love to see a game of full contact football between Team Imam and Team Priest.

I wonder what Team Imam would call the "Hail Mary" pass.

i think it was moe likely to be soccer, but a great analogy all the same.
If they had played, they would probably have argued over something else. Maybe the religion of the ref could have been a problem later on.
Playground antics, they should all be ashamed of themselves.

Other Comments by Nails

12. Comment #38109 by stroupian on May 7, 2007 at 1:59 am

Ewww! Girl-germs!

For goodness sake, are Moslem men stuck in a permanent pre-adolescent state?

Other Comments by stroupian

13. Comment #38111 by epeeist on May 7, 2007 at 2:28 am

Comment #38070 by mbcraig11

actually I would like to say that I would love to see a game of full contact football between Team Imam and Team Priest.

I think that might be known as rugby :-D

Other Comments by epeeist

14. Comment #38114 by NJS on May 7, 2007 at 2:43 am

When I ever I read about "dialogue" and "reaching out" between the faiths I always ask the question:

How can you have a friendly chat and a nice polite social exchange with people who you honestly believe are going to burn in hell forever?

Other Comments by NJS

15. Comment #38115 by BillySands on May 7, 2007 at 2:44 am

Obvioulsly the discrimination is wrong, but I thought if you wanted to build bridges, you have to respect the opposite view. Looks like the church fails again. The muslims show why religion is bad for using the koran to suppress people without any real justification behind it. Of course, the bible isn't any better when it comes to women.

Sounds like two teams arguing over who owns the pinkest unicorn.

Other Comments by BillySands

16. Comment #38116 by BillySands on May 7, 2007 at 2:46 am

How can you have a friendly chat and a nice polite social exchange with people who you honestly believe are going to burn in hell forever?

Not only that, but they actually believe that the other lot deserve to burn forever in eternal torment.

Even the Germans and Allies managed to get a game going during world war I

Other Comments by BillySands

17. Comment #38117 by mmurray on May 7, 2007 at 2:46 am

i think it was moe likely to be soccer, but a great analogy all the same.

Yep the original BBC heading says soccer.

Michael

Other Comments by mmurray

18. Comment #38118 by Kell on May 7, 2007 at 2:49 am

I finished reading only the first sentence of this article, and started laughing. How utterly, brilliantly demonstrative of religious stupidity.

And yes, that last statement is naueseating: "Both sides have learned to better understand our cultures and we have had an open discussion."

No, moron, you obviously haven't. Your kind - religious moderates as well as extremists - have had hundreds of years and billions of lives to 'better understand your cultures'.

Even at a conference tritely expected to 'encourage greater inter-faith dialogue' the absolutism that defines religion cannot be escaped. When we've finished having a giggle about this incident, realise the most revealing thing about it: the match had to be cancelled. Yes, such is the intolerance of our planet's two biggest religions they cannot even manage a friendly soccer match. Why then should we feel comfortable when they are pitted against one another on a global and potentially nuclear level? Why should the rest of us remain silent?

That is what we truly need to 'better understand', Mr. Tveit. I do. Do you?

Other Comments by Kell

19. Comment #38121 by Adrian on May 7, 2007 at 3:07 am

Hilariously funny, but behind all that is a serious problem.

"Both sides have learned to better understand our cultures and we have had an open discussion."

Basically, they would claim toleration and understanding, but these are euphemisms for 'unbridgeable gaps', and all that happens is a sweeping-under-the-carpet of the notable differences.

The time must come when someone has to expose the shit under there and sweep it out, and when that happens, it'll hit the fan.

Other Comments by Adrian

20. Comment #38124 by Jonathan Dore on May 7, 2007 at 3:16 am

*Howls* of derisive laughter, Bruce!

Other Comments by Jonathan Dore

21. Comment #38128 by _J_ on May 7, 2007 at 4:14 am

It's just as well, really. A mixed Islamic team would have been at a hideous disadvantage. You can't make an effective tackle in a burka.

And imagine the sort of cynical fouls that would be encouraged by knowing your opponent is a hellbound infidel...

I agree with Kell, though, about the issue behind the farce. Maybe they should start with something simpler. An interfaith piss-up in a brewery, perhaps?

Other Comments by _J_

22. Comment #38145 by savagemickey on May 7, 2007 at 5:52 am

Another example of reality lapping satire.

Other Comments by savagemickey

23. Comment #38147 by newathiest on May 7, 2007 at 5:56 am

When I read the headline, I thought this story was going to be about brawling priests, proving all at once how "human" they are in the heat of competition, when perhaps they ignored the peaceful teachings of their religion.

Alas. No such pleasant surprises, just the usual nonsense.

Other Comments by newathiest

24. Comment #38149 by will young on May 7, 2007 at 5:59 am

Excuse my crassness but… these guys need to get laid in the worst possible way.

Other Comments by will young

25. Comment #38150 by jonecc on May 7, 2007 at 6:02 am

The thing that amused me was the idea that soccer matches help to bring people together. They've obviously never watched the game in Britain. I spent Saturday night in a bar celebrating my team Bristol City's promotion, and half the chants were aimed at local rivals Bristol Rovers.

I didn't join in those chants, by the way.

Other Comments by jonecc

26. Comment #38157 by Ole on May 7, 2007 at 6:23 am

The Imam spokesman said that they were afraid of "bodily contact" with a woman during the soccer game.
This could lead to "special feelings", and this again to something that could be "forbidden"!

Here is a clip from the TV news:
http://www1.nrk.no/nett-tv/indeks/95222

Ole

Other Comments by Ole

27. Comment #38189 by Logicel on May 7, 2007 at 7:34 am

Since I don't understand Norwegian all I could do was to focus on what seemed to be very happy and friendly people, judging from their facial expressions.

Other Comments by Logicel

28. Comment #38192 by Corylus on May 7, 2007 at 7:42 am

Now if the objection was that caring a toss about who kicks a ball where is totally irrational I would have listened, but no!

Oh dear, I fear I may get into trouble for that one ;)

Other Comments by Corylus

29. Comment #38198 by Stuart Paul Wood on May 7, 2007 at 7:55 am

You couldn't make it up!

Other Comments by Stuart Paul Wood

30. Comment #38199 by Stuart Paul Wood on May 7, 2007 at 7:57 am

Goshzilla: "A rabbi, a muslim cleric, and a pastor walk into a bar. Five minutes later they walk out with no mutal respect or understanding for one another."

Hahaha : class!

Other Comments by Stuart Paul Wood

31. Comment #38255 by FXR on May 7, 2007 at 10:27 am

So.........a bunch of fairyologists have a football match with a bunch of leprechaunists with a view to understanding each others culture and one side gets into a hissy fit becuase.....the other side (who they are trying to understand) does something which their side does'nt agree with...If this was a Monthy Python sketch I'd be more likely to believe it.

Other Comments by FXR

32. Comment #38274 by privateeye on May 7, 2007 at 11:22 am

I bet the muslims were gutted when they realised they wouldn't get the chance to swap shirts with the female clerics at the end of the match!!

Other Comments by privateeye

33. Comment #38278 by Azven on May 7, 2007 at 11:32 am

So who won? That is, who pulled out first and let the other team win by default?

(The tactical thing to do would be for the Christian team to be all women and have the Islamic team refuse to play and therefore lose)

Other Comments by Azven

34. Comment #38305 by RickM on May 7, 2007 at 1:08 pm

ROFLMAO!

"Both sides have learned to better understand our cultures and we have had an open discussion."

What a bunch of complete fucking idiots.

Other Comments by RickM

35. Comment #38396 by Philip1978 on May 8, 2007 at 1:43 am

You can just imagine it can't you,

"OH MY GOD, ITS A .......WOMAN....erm, what do I do now? Huh? She accidentally brushed shoulders with me... MUST FIGHT UNCONTROLLABLE LUST...AAAARRRGGHHHH I AM BEING PROVOKED....!

What really makes me giggle is that their religions are supposed to be perfect-word-of-their-god-true yet they still have absolutely no idea how to be in the near vicinity of women, it all gets too much!

Other Comments by Philip1978

36. Comment #38420 by Tintern on May 8, 2007 at 4:02 am

I guess this means the intergender interfaith beach volleyball tournament is off, then. Although, they don't actually touch the other team. They'd just have to stand there watching the Christian babes smack each other on the barely covered ass. Naughty hell-bound infidels!

Other Comments by Tintern

37. Comment #38432 by Vaal on May 8, 2007 at 4:45 am

So, any gay priests playing? Perhaps the Immans should have worn burqa's to prevent their uncontrollable lust!

Other Comments by Vaal

38. Comment #38450 by PeterK on May 8, 2007 at 6:12 am

Hey, why not just go bowling?

Other Comments by PeterK

39. Comment #38453 by AtheistAttorney on May 8, 2007 at 6:49 am

It never ceases to amaze me how religion still festers in these Scandinavian countries although decreasingly so.

I'm with mbcraig11 - just not sure what to say except that those backward misogynistic muslims should *&^% off back to where they came from instead of mooching off Norway's wonderful social welfare system while refusing to accept its social norms which, I am led to believe, are largely secular and humanistic in character.

Other Comments by AtheistAttorney

40. Comment #38547 by mjwemdee on May 8, 2007 at 3:03 pm

"The reactions we have had today shows us that this is being interpreted as a gender-political issue. This is why we cannot go through with the soccer match."

Bollocks. Let's call a spade a spade. It's a RELIGIOUS issue, nitwit.

Other Comments by mjwemdee

41. Comment #91427 by deebeeh on November 28, 2007 at 9:25 am

So let me get this correct.

Two sides representing religions that have been systematically slaughtering each other for two millenia decide to have a football match to "build bridges" and are surprised when it all goes belly up in an orgy of predjudice.

Now who would have seen that coming.?

By the way if there is a muslim, burka wearing, ladies soccer team who are not allowed any physical contact out there, England would like a friendly as we really need a win.

Other Comments by deebeeh