POLICE from at least nine agencies in the New York area came racing to the Playland Amusement Park in Rye yesterday after a “multi-person fight” – involving between 30 and 40 people – broke out when Muslim visitors kicked off over the park’s prohibition of headgear on certain rides.
The dragon rollercoaster at Playland
According to this report two rangers were injured while breaking up the brawl, and two visitors were charged with felony assault. Another 13Â were arrested, most charged with disorderly conduct. Names were not disclosed, and all those charged were released by Tuesday night.
The park was crowded with Muslims celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr, one of Islam’s two major holidays. Most were from community groups in Westchester and New York City as part of a daylong event arranged by the Muslim American Society of New York.
The headgear ban was among safety rules that went into effect after three separate accidents on Playland rides that killed two children and a park worker between 2004 and 2007, but these were unrelated to clothing the victims were wearing.
Deputy parks commissioner Peter Tartaglia said:
It’s a safety issue on rides. If it’s a scarf, you could choke.
Accounts of what happened varied, but everyone agreed the dispute began after the Muslims were told the headgear ban applied to women wearing traditional Muslim head coverings, known as hijabs.
Tartaglia said once word of that got out there were:
A lot of unhappy people.
Tartaglia said park officials were in the process of arranging refunds when members of the Muslim group got into a scuffle with each other.
At 4:30 p.m., more than an hour and a half after the incident started, nearly three dozen cruisers blocked Playland’s entrance and a helicopter was flying overhead. A reporter counted nearly 60 cruisers on the scene from various agencies.
Tartaglia said the county believed a mass response was required “as a safety precaution.”
Hat tip: BarrieJohn
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
August 31st, 2011 at 11:17 am
Not into the “When in Rome….” philosophy then. More, “To hell with everybody and their rules. We are Muslims and do what we choose.” As they are so unhappy with Western life I wonder why they don’t return to the idyllic life of Muslim countries where they will not have to insist on separate rules and laws for themselves.
August 31st, 2011 at 11:18 am
Those peaceful bastards again. Can’t even behave in a fun-fair!
August 31st, 2011 at 11:27 am
The rules are in place to save peoples lives, including them. They were being offered refunds. What exactly was their complaint?
August 31st, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Here goes the oppression olympics.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new.....f_ban.html
August 31st, 2011 at 12:39 pm
Muzzies, you can’t take them anywhere! What were they doing in an amusement park? Isn’t ‘amusement’ of any kind against their half-witted belief system?
August 31st, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Quote Stargraves. “Can’t even behave in a fun-fair!”
Yes they were having fun: Rioting, violence, whinging about persecution because they have to obey the same rules as everyone else – that ranks as good day out for the fundie muslims.
All religious types have a problem following laws and rules; they want to re-arrange the village to suit the idiot.
August 31st, 2011 at 1:41 pm
How many kids had their day spoiled by these selfish, ignorant people? How do parents explain to their kids that the Muslims must be treated as special because they read a different silly book from everybody else? Come on people of islam, if you want to be accepted in modern society, wake up and realise the world has moved on since your paedophile prophet dreamt his silly book.
August 31st, 2011 at 3:32 pm
Tony:
Allah did not create man so that he could have fun. The aim of creation was for mankind to be put to the test through hardship and prayer. An Islamic regime must be serious in every field. There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humor in Islam. There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is serious. (Ayatollah Khomeini)
Still, not being allowed to drive cars I bet they were really pissed off that they couldn’t have a go on the dodgems either!
August 31st, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Many people have been decapitated or strangled by their scarves, including Isadora Duncan of course, but then common sense and Islam never were really compatible.
Angela: Great comment – you had me in stitches.
Gentlemen, you can’t fight here – this is the War Room!
Maybe there should be an amusement park for Muslims where they can riot and complain all day to their heart’s content – a bit like Monty Python’s Argument Clinic!! (I know – it’s cruel to mock!)
August 31st, 2011 at 5:06 pm
@Broga,
It’s not clear if these were immigrant Muslims or native born.
August 31st, 2011 at 5:18 pm
What a bunch of numpties. Literally starting a riot because they couldn’t go on the big rides. It’d be fun to design a religious custom friendly amusement park for these prats, what kind of rides do you think they’d have? I’m imagining a ghost train with scantily clad women jumping out instead of skeletons! Maybe a roller coaster with no ups or downs in it because having fun is illegal. Just a straight track with everyone scowling and looking straight ahead! Of course the women have to sit in a special carriage at the back!
August 31st, 2011 at 5:25 pm
Charles, being born in a stable doesn’t make someone a horse, and the essential point stands that if they want to follow their brand of stupidity they’d be better off living somewhere Islamic, except that it hardly ever happens.
We have asylum seekers who have fled theocracies, who are grateful every day that they live in free and secular-minded countries. If these bellends had any sense they’d do the same rather than demanding that perfectly sensible rules not apply to them.
August 31st, 2011 at 5:36 pm
Bloody idiots. Safety rules are there for, you know… safety.
Asquith, while I agree with you for the most part, Charles’s point still also holds, I think. It’s easy when discussing Muslims and their ‘foreign’ religion (from the same part of the world as Christianity), to fall into the racist’s habit of ‘they should all go home’-type statements. Not that I’m saying either you or Broga is a racist, just that it’s a thought-habit that should probably be avoided.
August 31st, 2011 at 7:02 pm
I would never, ever defend anybody who started bleating on because they thought they were being persecuted on account of their religious beliefs. But you can only imagine that, for pretty obvious reasons, irate muslims are not going to be the most popular of people in New York. And I can only imagine that the scale of the police response was in some way affected by memories of 9/11.
(Having said which I concede that there is, of course, always the possibility that the religiot nutters were, as usual, playing the discrimination card.)
August 31st, 2011 at 7:11 pm
@Charles,asquith,Daz. I have met, and known, Muslims who are settled here and have no wish to either break UK laws or force their views on non Muslims. The last thing they would want, I’m sure, is to move to a Muslim country.
What I was getting at are those Muslims, whether immigrant or native born, who while enjoying the freedoms of the West want to ignore the law of the country and enforce Muslim laws/rules and thus erode the system that allows the freedom they enjoy.
August 31st, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Or, that they decided “better safe than sorry,” which is how New York responded just a few days ago in the face of a major natural disaster. Perhaps they also had heightened sensitivity in the face of the UK riots. 100 police officers responding, when they knew there were 3000 folks in the organized group, seems a fairly understandable response.
August 31st, 2011 at 7:45 pm
Broga
Yeah, I got what you meant, and agree. Charles and I were referring to the way you said ‘return to…’. I’d never accuse you of racism, honest—I’ve been reading your comments long enough to know that you most definitely aren’t. I just think it behoves us to be careful of such phrasing around an issue on which so many people are racist, given that ‘They should all go back where they came from’ is such a common racist meme.
August 31st, 2011 at 8:08 pm
I don’t see a problem with anybody disagreeing with the law, rightly or wrongly. There’s plenty of laws that I disagree with in my country (UK) but I don’t think that I should move to another one because of them. Nothing would ever change if that were the case.
August 31st, 2011 at 9:17 pm
Jim dawson;
There is nothing wrong in disagreeing with a law, (blasphemy anyone?)or campainging to have it changed. What concerns most people here is when religious organizations disregard laws of the land because of their beliefs. I live in Spain and I have to abide by the laws of Spain if I like them or not. I think what many people mean is that if a person wants to abide by the laws of islam, they should live in a country that accommodates them or try to change the laws of their country of residence democratically. I hasten to add that islam is not the only religion guilty of this.
August 31st, 2011 at 10:11 pm
David, I get what you’re saying and probably should have explained myself a bit more. Basically, I think that the original article is a bit poor; 3000 muslims go on a day out, a few kids can’t get on a ride because they won’t comply with the rules, they claim (wrongly) that it’s racism, there’s a bit of handbags amongst themselves and the police etc. It doesn’t mean that I don’t think that some religious people cry persecution at the drop of a hat or that they were correct in their actions or thinking.
August 31st, 2011 at 11:34 pm
Lack of food + religion = stupidity.
September 1st, 2011 at 1:42 am
Can I just wield Ockham’s razor AngieRS and trim your statement down to size?
Religion = stupidity.
That’s better. Also heartening to see some people making the effort to differentiate theism from race/ethnicity/nationality. I know it doesn’t always happen and I know from friends on other forums that many have been put off ever returning here for just this reason. I’ve come close to abandoning this site myself for just that reason.
September 1st, 2011 at 3:41 am
The muzzies could trollop off to the “Creation museum”, or go help digging holes at the “Ark Encounter”. That way they could wear what they want, be in an amusement park environment and be surrounded by ever so slightly different persons (different god, same nonsense), some of whom may be female. That’d be fun!
September 1st, 2011 at 5:22 am
As someone who has a major problem with the Islamic religion, even I have to say this article blows things out of proportion. The lady asked for a refund because she hadn’t known about the headgear rule and the park officials started arguing with her and the next thing you know, the police are there and her husband and I think her brother were coming to her side but they were tackled to the ground for no apparent reason. This is an instance of police brutality and miscommunication, not Muslims acting wild.
September 1st, 2011 at 6:34 am
A tad off the original topic, but seeing as it has been raised by others is the subject of “deportation” etc of islamists, This is a subject which many atheists & secularists tend to skirt around by staying in the realm of pure atheist theory, and it is a debate which is probably long overdue to be had.
The fact on the streets is that islamists (and their multi-culti enablers) do see demographics in the form of immigration and outbreeding of the host population as a weapon in their arsenal, I don’t think it is racist to point this out as it applies to white muslims aswell as Pakistani,Somali etc.
It is also a fact that most of the GB population would see islamification issues as being interwoven with problems concerning mass immigration.
Personally speaking, whilst I have absolutely no problem with genuine pro-democratic dissidents seeking asylum from brutal tyranny until that regime is overthrown, I do not see why we have to tolerate those who promulgate jihad/islamism or practise barbaritys such as female genital mutilation or pedophile rape & pimping gangs for instance.
September 1st, 2011 at 10:11 am
DAZ/Charles. Your make an entirely fair point and the use of “return” invited a conclusion I did not intend. I think Great Satan makes the following persuasive comment and FGM, for example, is practised in the UK and, it seems to me, the authorities look away.
“I do not see why we have to tolerate those who promulgate jihad/islamism or practise barbaritys such as female genital mutilation or pedophile rape & pimping gangs for instance.”
However, as my children, long grown up, would have said, “Dad, don’t try to wriggle. You have to take the shame.” OK, consider it taken.
September 1st, 2011 at 10:30 am
There is more to this than meets the eye, as other stories on the above site make clear:
http://www.lohud.com/article/2...../108310369
They are claiming elsewhere that “this all happened because we are Muslim”!
September 1st, 2011 at 10:34 am
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....rides.html
September 1st, 2011 at 10:37 am
Thanks, Thoreau
September 1st, 2011 at 10:40 am
This is ironic!
http://www.lohud.com/article/2.....yer-silent
September 1st, 2011 at 3:43 pm
The issue is within the article. Points have been made and people have adjusted their position. To then bring all other problems that Muslims cause is unhelpful; we could go on forever. I very much doubt anybody here thinks that Muslims should be able to do as they please if it goes against the law of the land. However, I am interested to know when we will be taken over by Muslims. Do they all seek world domination? How many leave their religion? How many integrate? When I was younger people would say they same things about Catholics which nor seems absurd.
September 1st, 2011 at 5:05 pm
@Angela_K
All religious types have a problem following laws and rules; they want to re-arrange the village to suit the idiot.
Correction – they have a problem following man made rules. They love following rules made by their own particular sky fairy.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:16 pm
Mr. Woggler:
This is the kind of hate filled rhetoric that starts fight. Why are u blaming Muslims for being backward? Muslims invented Algebra , alchemy, astronomy and all modern sciences except Geometry which was further perfected.
Why did the park not warn Muslims of this prior to ticket purchase. I am sure Catholic nuns would not have been prohibited from entering. This was deliberate provocation.
September 1st, 2011 at 11:25 pm
Robert: Not only do you have no idea what you are talking about, but you couldn’t even be bothered to read previous comments:
http://www.lohud.com/article/2.....yer-silent
Remember, it is better to remain silent and be thought an idiot than to open your mouth and be proved one!
September 2nd, 2011 at 12:10 am
Robert:
Agreed, but were these things done by the Muslims in the news story above, or by other Muslims, several hundred years ago? FYI, it was the rise of radical, fundamentalist Islam which put an end to that admittedly admirable period of Islamic culture. (Much the same story can be seen in renaissance Europe: As the Roman Catholic church became more and more hard-line, Protestant northern Europe became the centre of learning.)
Most here would agree with you that to paint all Muslims with the same brush is a bad thing, but you can’t argue that fundamentalist Islam isn’t becoming more and more prevalent, just like fundamentalist Christianity. And appeals to the ‘glorious non-radical past’ are of no use in discussing the more and more radical present.
From the original article (linked in the OP):
So, if anyone didn’t tell ‘the Muslims’, it was the failing of the (presumably Muslim) organiser, not the park officials.
September 2nd, 2011 at 12:40 am
Taf,
They knew about the policy before they ever went to the amusement park. And I agree, you obviously can’t take them anywhere. They ruined the day for other park goers and I have absolutely no sympathy for them. If they hadn’t fought back against the police officers and just left quietly, none of this wouldn’t have happened. It’s their own fault and they brought this on themselves. If they don’t like it, they can leave American and go back to an Islamic country!
September 2nd, 2011 at 3:21 am
Robert, it is a myth that Muslims “invented” all the stuff you mentioned.
“The truth is that, although there the Muslim world was relatively more advanced during a certain period in history than the ‘Christian’ world, the reasons for this have absolutely nothing to do with the Islamic religion (other than its mandate for military expansion). In fact, the religion tends to discourages knowledge outside of itself, which is why the most prolific Muslim scholars have always tended to be students of religion rather than science.
“Many of the scientific advances credited to Islam were actually ‘borrowed’ from other cultures conquered by the Muslims. The algebraic concept of ‘zero’, for example, is erroneously attributed to Islam when, in fact, it was a Hindu discovery that was merely introduced to the West by Muslims.
The issue is explained in full here:
http://www.thereligionofpeace......tm#science
Go educate yourself!
September 2nd, 2011 at 4:32 am
Barry Duke
To be fair, Medieval Islam should actually get more credit than they traditionally have done, for quite a bit of science and maths. At the time, Mohammed’s instruction to learn about the world was held up as more important (or at least as important as) than the more militaristic bits of scripture. They actually did make great strides in astronomy, medicine, human physiology, maths, optics and quite a bit more. (I’ve never seen Islamic scholars given, or claim, credit for ‘zero’.)
Historically, their contribution’s been sort of air-brushed out, as European colonisers wanted to portray the peoples they were over-taking as backwards and uncivilised, both in the present and historically. After all, that way they could pretend they were bringing the benefits of European Civilisation And Christianity™ to the dirt-scrabbling heathen, rather than just robbing the buggers blind. (Which does kinda make me wonder if the current fundamentalism of much of the middle east isn’t partly our own bloody history of patronisation coming back to bite us in the arse.)
Sorry, I’ve read a fairish bit about this, and I’ve noticed that many anti-Islam websites tend to belittle that part of history as much as many pro-Islam sites exaggerate it. I’ll shut up now before everybody falls asleep…
I don’t really see how any of that’s relevant to modern religio-politics, though, any more than Newton being a Christian would mean all Christians are science-minded geniuses. Or, for that matter, Percy Shelley’s atheism leading to all of us being gifted poets. Quite why Robert thinks it’s relevant is beyond me.
September 2nd, 2011 at 12:54 pm
Instructional video for ‘Robert’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....ideo_title
September 2nd, 2011 at 4:55 pm
Tim Danaher
Very nice find! One of the clearest explanations of why introducing gods shuts down scientific enquiry I’ve ever seen. Interesting too, that you could replace ‘Al-Ghazali’ with ‘Pope’, change a few other words and dates, and it would work just as well.
September 5th, 2011 at 11:36 pm
I wonder if they tell men and women with long hair or weaves that they can’t ride the ride either. That place or any place isn’t even worth the humilty of a riot. Instead I would have just demanded my money back and made sure I spread the word about what happened.