Won't touch an "unclean" book:

A Muslim store worker at Marks & Spencer refused to serve a customer buying a children's book on Christianity because she said it was "unclean".

Sally Friday, a customer at a branch of one of the famous stores, felt publicly humiliated when she tried to pay for First Bible Stories as a gift for her young grandson.

When the grandmother put the book on the counter, the assistant refused to touch it, declared it was unclean and then summoned another member of staff to deal with the purchase.

Mrs Friday was so upset that she has now complained to the store's manager.

Politicians and religious leaders supported her in condemning the high street chain and it has reignited the debate over religious beliefs in the workplace.

Conservative MP Philip Davies said the refusal to serve Mrs Friday, 69, was "unacceptable" and "damaging" to community relations.

Inayat Bunglawala, assistant secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, described the assistant's comments as "offensive" and called for Marks & Spencer to conduct an investigation.
He said: "This appears to be a very regrettable incident and the 'unclean' remark was clearly very offensive and unacceptable.

"Many Biblical stories complement the teachings of the Koran. We hope that M&S will investigate this incident."...

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That there would be individual outbursts of fanatic stupidity is only to be expected. There is nothing sillier than ignorant piety. I'm much more bothered by Inayat Bunglawala's explanation as to why it was wrong for the Muslim sales assistant to behave in this way. Not because it was unfitting conduct for a person employed in a store which is located in a secular democracy and caters to all, but because there was nothing really wrong in touching a book about Bible stories... And if it were a book depicting naked women, or about the pleasures of wine, or, for the matter, a bottle of wine, would then the clerk's behaviour be justified?