Downing Street was forced to apologise to British Hindus after serving meat and alcohol at its annual Diwali celebration.
No 10 said there had been a “mistake” in the organisation of the event and reassured the community “it will not happen again”.
Whilst Hinduism does not have a clear ban on alcohol or meat consumption, many Hindus, including several who attended the event, choose not to drink and some are also vegetarian.
The celebration prompted complaints from British Hindu MPs, including Shivani Raja, Conservative MP for Leicester East, who, in a letter to Sir Keir Starmer, said that she was “greatly concerned” to hear about the gaffe.
Some of the people – even some of the Hindoos – who attended will sup booze and chomp meat. Therefore a host will – should even – cater to the tastes of his guests.
Twats.
“…and reassured the community “it will not happen again”.”
By exiling the civil serpents responsible to the Hebrides?
This isn’t about Hinduism, this is about someone who is a permanent passenger on the outrage bus who found something to be offended about, as they always, always, will.
Do not entertain these cunts.
Number 10 shouldn’t hold an annual Diwali celebration in the first place any more than it should celebrate the birth of the Buddah, Eid or the Plymouth Bretheren day of whatever it is that they celebrate.
With that as the starting point the problem goes away but if there has to be such an event at all on government premises then simple good manners would dictate that the customs of the guests need to be respected so no meat and no booze on this occasion.
Being properly inclusive nowadays means being actively exclusive.
This does sound like absolute drivel.
If some people can consume the stuff, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be there for them. If someone else doesn’t want to eat it, they don’t have to.
The whingers do indeed seem like a pack of shitheads.
First of all, unless beef was served, that’s fine. That’s the only restriction in Hindu text.
Also, this is why the Tories need to be gone. “said that she was “greatly concerned” to hear about the gaffe”. Greatly concerned? Fuck off. I’ve served meat with vegetarians present, alcohol with Muslims present. Make sure there’s some other options for people, and warn them what they can’t have.
Where do the Conservatives get these people from?
Poor old MTK was just trying to take his mind off his job and BOOM! another self made grenade goes off in his face…
Grist, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer twat.
Surely, isn’t the question: Would you expect Hindu hosts to supply alcohol & meat when hosting a party for Westerners? If the answer’s no, then they can have no objection to alcohol & meat being provided at a party they are invited to. And this would be true of any religious proscriptions. They are guests & should be treated like guests. Your house, your rules. If they don’t like it, don’t attend.
Diwali = Shit Christmas
You lose again, Jeets.
Were alcohol free drinks and vegetarian dishes available? Yes, so what’s the effing problem?
Its always the same. Why should those who enjoy an alcoholic drink and meat have to go without so as not to offend the permanently offended?
I’d be interested to know how many people there complained and how many couldn’t care less?
BiS: « Would you expect Hindu hosts to supply alcohol & meat when hosting a party for Westerners? »
That’s not really a proper comparison because the party in question marked a religious festival and religious festivals for westerners’ (or people from a broadly christian culture) are now largely secular and there are no dietary prescriptions to be observed in any case.
So it’s not “Your house, your rules” so much as your festival so your religious pieties apply on this occasion: it’s just good manners!
BiND,
“I’d be interested to know how many people there complained and how many couldn’t care less?”
The general answer to this is something like 97+% vs less than 3%.
The worst thing with this sort of story is people assuming that Hindus are all offendotrons. It’s like organisations that ban Xmas decorations for fear of offending other people, but actually, few of those people ever care. We’ve had Christmas dinners at a pub with Muslims in our team and they pull a cracker and put on a stupid hat like the rest of us, but just don’t drink.
A Hindu friend of mine organises a Diwali dinner every year at an Indian restaurant, where booze and meat is served. She will also go to the temple, where a vegetarian Indian meal will be served with no booze. There is difference between the religious bit and the more general celebration.
Some Hindus are pretty strict vegetarians and a bit wary about unknown kitchens, but that’s a concern with their food being contaminated rather than being offended by the presence of meat.
The problem is that this sort of grievance-bleating is that it becomes competitive. I suspect that some people will have gone to the event and thought, hang on, if this was an Eid party, there’d definitely be no sausage rolls!
The solution, as noted by TMB above, is that the British state only celebrates the holidays of the Church of England.
I have drunk alcohol with Muslims also drinking alcohol (and standing their round) in an officers’ mess in a Muslin country
@TMB
How can non-Hindus – the British government in particular – be celebrating a pagan festival? Christianity – and the UK has an Established Church – is a monotheistic religion. It doesn’t recognise the validity of other faiths. It is a dire sin, according to its Bible, to worship forrin’ idols. Isn’t the punishment supposed to be death? It’s not a matter of manners.
I went to a conference today, and at lunch blue cheese was available. I’m offended! How dare they have blue cheese as an option! It’s disgusting! I could bearly manage to eat my cauliflower soup, chicken sandwich, coldslaw, tomatoes, and chocolate muffin. I was in such distress I could only manage to snaffle six cheese&onion sandwiches to take home.
I think it depends on how far up the caste ladder one is. I knew a Brahmin who was vegan, he was also a sort of ‘lay preacher’ at his temple and was very devout. Can’t remember if he drank, doubt it. He explained once that meat flavoured crisps were permitted, but cheese n onion were not, because the salt included rennet.
Amateurish… A real Offendotron would have seized the opportunity of a hindu festival being celebrated by anything brit governmenty official to go full ham.
Celebrating Colonial Oppression, Cultural Appropriation, yadda, yadda…
Seems they’re off their game nowadays.
BIS,
“It is a dire sin, according to its Bible, to worship forrin’ idols.”
No-one really takes any of this seriously, do they? The CofE have had NHS logos all over their churches during Covid, cementing the NHS as the actual religion of the UK, even if not officially.
WB,
We’ve had Christmas dinners at a pub with Muslims in our team and they pull a cracker and put on a stupid hat like the rest of us, but just don’t drink.
A devout Muslim explained to me that there is no ban on alcohol per se, they are supposed to keep their heads clear at all times so they can think about Allah and on that basis anything mind altering, even tobacco in his view, should be avoided.
We had a devout Muslim on the team when I worked in London and she would join us at leaving does and always have a little nip of whatever was being used to toast even though we all said she didn’t need to. Her take was that it was traditional and a small nip an these occasions wasn’t a problem.
“and the UK has an Established Church”: it has two Established Churches, an altogether healthier state of affairs.