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November 14, 2007

MUSLIMS FLUSH KORANIC TOILET SEATS IN ITALY

Here is one time I can actually applaud cheap Chinese imports in their manufacturing of a toilet seat replete with Koranic verses and flowers. Isn't it lovely - and so appropriate???

Unfortunately the Italian authorities have "pulled the chain" on these seats under pressure from Muslim leaders and threats of an angry reaction. Likely the Italian Interior Minister wanted to avoid the worldwide Islamic hysteria and murders as "The Religion of Peace" demonstrated regarding the Danish cartoons incident.  TWO articles below - emphasis mine

PART ONE:

Italy: Muslims campaign against 'Koranic' toilet seat

20071027korantoiletseat

Latina and London, 14 Nov. (AKI) - A campaign launched by an imam in central Italy and other local Muslims against a toilet seat featuring verses of the Koran has made it to the frontpage of London-based Arabic daily Al-Quds al-Arabi.

"Uproar in Italy over the 'Koranic' toilet seat cover," screamed a banner headline in the paper - one of the best-selling in the Middle East.

The imam of the mosque in the town of Latina in the central Italian region of Lazio, Sheikh Yusuf, on 26 October heckled interior minister Giuliano Amato about the toilet seat as he presented Italy's new 'Charter of values, citizenship and integration' for immigrants' at Rome's Grand Mosque.

"This is an insult to the Muslim faith that we must react to," Yusuf called out to Amato, who reassured Yusuf, saying: "I would like to tell our friends from Latina that we have been informed of this matter and are taking action because it is offensive."

Frustrated by the Italian authorities' apparent inability to ban the offending toilet cover from stores in southern Lazio following complaints from local Muslims, Yusuf and other Muslims took their protest to the Arabic media.

Al-Quds al-Arabi reported that local Muslims are planning further non-violent protests against the toilet seat until it is removed from stores.

Imported from China and sold in Italy by the Orizzonte group, it is still in sale in six towns in the region, including Latina and Frosinone, many of them in local markets, according to the Arabic paper.

for rest of article go to title link

PART TWO:

Italy Seizes Quran-printed Toilet Seats

By  Hadi Yahmid, IOL Correspondent

ROME — Italian Muslims have swiftly acted to stop the sale in local stores of toilet seat covers that feature verses of the Noble Qur'an in an unprecedented blasphemous act, reporting the matter to appropriate authorities and politicians, who proved forthcoming.

"I would like to thank Italian authorities who responded positively to our complaints against this profanity," Samir Al-Khalidi, the head of the Islamic Centre (Al-Huda) in Rome, told IslamOnlin.net Saturday, October 27.

"We reacted astutely to this provocation and threw the ball in the court of security officials and politicians, demanding them to seize the products immediately to head off angry Muslim reaction," he added.

The Lazio-based Orizzonte Company unveiled this month a new collection of bathroom products including the offensive toilet cover seats.

They feature verses from the Noble Qur'an printed on the double face of the cover seats and intersected by colorful flowers and Latin words.

Following Muslim complaints, police raided the four braches of the company in the town of Latina, 60km south of Rome, and seized 2,000 such pieces on sale.

Interior minister Giuliano Amato met Friday with Italian Muslim leaders at the main Rome Mosque to reassure them that Italy would not tolerate such outrageous acts.

"This is an insult to the Muslim faith," The imam of the Lazio town of Latina's mosque, Sheikh Yusuf, told Amato.

Amato reassured Yusuf, saying: "I would like to tell our friends from Latina that we have been informed of this matter and are taking action because it is offensive."

Italy has a Muslim population of some 1.2 million, including 20,000 reverts, according to unofficial estimates.

Intentional

Al-Khalidi smelled a rat in the Italian company's act.

"Inscribing the toilet seat covers with Ayat Al-Kursi (The Verse of the Throne) and putting the noble verse in the nastiest place was not unintentional," he said.

On how he learnt about the matter, Al-Khalidi said a fellow Italian Muslim happened on the sacrilegious pieces as he went shopping in Latina on Wednesday, October 24.

Al-Khalidi said he does not buy the company's excuses that it did not know what the Arabic words written on the cover seats really meant.

"This is not about art and beauty as the company claims; this is a crime," he said.

Far-right senior Italian senator Roberto Calderoli, who is notorious for his anti-Islam stances, outraged Muslims last month by calling for a "Pig Day" protest against the planned construction of a mosque in northern Italy. ( SEE THE OPINIONATOR'S PREVIOUS POST FOR MORE INFO)

Last year, Calderoli lost a ministerial post in a centre-right government led by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for wearing a T-shirt with blasphemous Danish cartoons that lampooned Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

After the 2005 publication of the cartoons by Denmark's Jyallands Posten, Muslim minorities in many Western countries championed local know-prophet campaigns.

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Comments

I think, the ISlamic shahada... which i will express as...

" La Illaha No allah, Mohammad rasool saitan"...

the Islamic version of it is also a insult to other faiths...

"Al-Khalidi said he does not buy the company's excuses that it did not know what the Arabic words written on the cover seats really meant."

But if we DO read it and report what it really says we are told we don't understand it because it's in Arabic.Hmmmmm...

I still waiting for some verses of the Quran toilet paper...
and hemorrhiod cream...
...fish wrappers...door mats...feminine irrigation products...pooper scoopers...cat liter trays ...etc.etc.etc......


Can I still get one over here? I would REALLY be willing to pay the price for one.

Why dont they protest the almost 10,000 islamic attacks all over the world first in the last 6 yrs

Muslims in Iraq kills thousands Muslims in Iraq. Silence. Silence. Silence.

Don't understand!!

Islam is a religion of anger and violance do those words shock you?Well there true I know I once embraced islam.
The Qu'ran itself is full of hatred and violance for non muslims and muslims alike,
And it is very hatefull towards women,the hadiths are even worse.Seek wellness for your body mind and soul this is much better for you than religion

tsarbomba29

Maybe we should check out ebay and see if these toilet seats show up there - guaranteed to be a BIG seller!!! LOL!!

Can Italy save one toilet seat to put on exhibit along side the "piss" Christ and "dung" Mary art work? We should not discriminated by leaving Islam unrepresented.

From the article:
"On how he learnt about the matter, Al-Khalidi said a fellow Italian Muslim happened on the sacrilegious pieces as he went shopping in Latina on Wednesday, October 24."


A "fellow *ITALIAN* moslem"... EXCUSE ME.. but... the name Al-Khalidi is HARDLY Italian and I am pretty safe to assume his "fellow" moslem was just as [un]Italian as he.

What a bunch of hogwash..

O sole mio!!

When we learn to respect others for their faith, beliefs and values we will be respected. Respect does not necessitate that you accept their values. Two wrongs do not make a right.

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