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Pineapple named Mohammed sparks row at Freshers’ Fayre

By Linda Fort
October 10, 2012

A pineapple named Mohammed sparked a row at The University of Reading’s Freshers’ Fayre.

Students from the Atheist, Humanist and Secularist Society were asked to leave the fair for including the offending fruit on their stall. Muslims believe it is deeply insulting to depict the Prophet Mohammed.

According to organisation Student Rights, staff at the university and a number of Muslim students objected, saying “either the pineapple goes or you do”.

The pineapple was also labelled: “To celebrate the fact that we live in a country in which free speech is protected and where it is lawful to call a pineapple by whatever name one chooses.”

Student Rights said: “We feel that freedom of expression is not absolute and that the extremes of free speech should be limited to ensure that they do not become hate speech.

“However, students do not have the right to impose their religious sensibilities among others, and they must accept that they may be offended by those who do not share their convictions.”

James Fletcher, president of Reading University Students’ Union (RUSU), said: “Reading University Students’ Union is dedicated to promoting an environment in which all students feel welcome and included in all of our activities, while at the same time being committed to our members maintaining a culture of free speech.

"Our Equal Opportunities Policy and our Behavioural Policy (which all clubs and societies agree to be bound by), state that RUSU will create a culture based on the principles of fairness, respect and of valuing difference. The actions of the Atheist, Humanist and Secularist Society did not comply with these ideals and we took the action we felt necessary to maintain the culture that we exist to promote.”

RUSU and The University of Reading are independent of each other but work together on projects that benefit students.

Freshers’ Fayre on October 3 brought together RUSU sports clubs, societies and volunteer programmes to encourage people to join.

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Put Mohammed in the cellar Keep him there 'til half past ten Ties some bacon to his beard Let the rats out on him there

The above are lyrics from Poor Mohammed by Keith Reid and Gary Brooker from Procol Harum's Broken Barricades album, which was released in 1971. I don't think Brooker and Reid had problems concerning censorship in 1971, but we seem to have problems nowadays.

The album, Broken Barricades, was reissued by Salvo Records in 2009, and the track has never been removed.

What is in a name ?

THOMAS CASAGRANDA
14/10/2012 at 17:49

What worries me is the inconsistency of all this freedom of speech nonsense.

3 punks desecrate a Cathedral in Russia and are sentenced to 2 years in prison. Amnesty international are up in arms saying they have a right to freeedom of speech irrelevant of who they offend.

After the 2 police officers were murdered in Manchester a man was sent to prison for 4 months for wearing a t-shirt with an anti police slogan on it. Not a word from Amnesty international.

Somebody calls a pineapple mohammed and the RUSU go overboard to apologise. As much as i disagree with the action of the atheists,where is the right to freedom of speech.

In many of the bloggs on here there are comments ridiculing the name of Jesus but go unchallenged. They seem to have freedom of speech.

There is either freedom of speech or there is not. What is worrying is who is deciding and how. I believe it is no more than a skin deep political kneejerk to so called 'popular opinion'. The great failing of PC is not that it stops anything it just drives it underground. If you are racist you will still be racist but it will be covert and so more insidious.

parlovero, reading
13/10/2012 at 16:29

Are people more offended by the two drug dealers called Moham(m)ed or a pineapple ?

John Bull
13/10/2012 at 12:25

We've had our banter. The thin-skinned RUSU apologists (aren't you ashamed?) say they exist to promote a culture of "respect" and "valuing difference". To quote from the offended group's own website on the prophet: "They were ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of saving a nail of his, from hurt or injury". This is not a statement deserving of respect - still less something I would value. Anyone in the supine RUSU prepared to go to Jihad over a toenail...? It would appear that "all creatures are to you humiliated" (again from RUMS) and the disease is spreading.

Interested Party, Reading
12/10/2012 at 14:56

I see my quote was removed, not that I'm arsed you understand. But in the interests of clarity, I lifted the quote from Malcolm X's response to the 1962 crash of air France flight 007 which was;

"I would like to announce a very beautiful thing that has happened...I got a wire from God today...well, all right, somebody came and told me that he really had answered our prayers over in France. He dropped an airplane out of the sky with over 120 white people on it because the Muslims believe in an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But thanks to God, or Jehovah, or Allah, we will continue to pray, and we hope that every day another plane falls out of the sky."

My comments were in relation to that quote and that quote alone, and not insinuation that mass genocide is carried out in the name Isl*m -which definitely does not happen.(I cannot state that clearly enough)

~Dangermouse~, Baker Street
12/10/2012 at 13:37

There is no Pineapple.

Nimrod Maximus, in another Galaxy far far away....
12/10/2012 at 12:51

This whole notion of freedom of speech is quite frankly laughable. Yes we can say what we want, till someone's lawyers get told to sue or some group feels maligned in some way.

Even on the very forum, we can't express how we want to as some moderator will either cut the post to pieces of simply not post it.

If I want to call myself Buddha the bell pepper, surely that's my choice, but in reality, would make me look like a bell ***

The Racing Snake
12/10/2012 at 00:18

Personally I find many peoples beliefs offensive but I ignore them.

Having a pineapple named after a boss would be considered normal workplace humour in many places and would be tolerated.

NotJohn, Reading
11/10/2012 at 17:06

Obviously free speech doesn't apply in backward countries

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19906528

A 16-year-old Christian boy has been held on blasphemy charges in the Pakistani city of Karachi.

The boy, named by police as Ryan Stanten, is said to have forwarded a text message which allegedly contained offensive material on Tuesday.

The following day an angry crowd ransacked his family home, setting fire to their belongings on the street.

Pakistan's blasphemy laws have been criticised for their severity and for being open to abuse.

There has been renewed focus on the laws ever since a young Pakistani Christian girl was arrested in August on blasphemy charges after a mob accused her of burning the Koran.

Following an outcry over the case, Rimsha Masih, who is thought to be 14 years old but with a younger mental age, was released on bail - an extremely rare move in blasphemy cases.

Reports say the 16-year-old boy was taken to see local prayer leaders in Karachi after the message was sent on Tuesday.

Police say the boy told the leaders he had forwarded the message without reading it to others in the middle-class compound for employees of the local gas company where he lived.

His mother was employed by the gas company and reports say she has since been dismissed from her job.

Blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in Pakistan, where 97% of the population are Muslim. Critics say the laws are often used to settle personal vendettas.

In the past, accusations of blasphemy have led to vigilante killings by mobs.

Rights activists have long urged Pakistan to reform the laws, under which a person can be jailed for life or sentenced to death.

In March 2011 Shahbaz Bhatti, the minister for minority affairs, was killed after calling for the repeal of the blasphemy law.

His death came just two months after the murder of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who also spoke out about the issue.

London Stan
11/10/2012 at 15:56

:o)

~Dangermouse~, Baker Street
11/10/2012 at 14:05

May I just point out (in response to VP) that the vast majority of fruitarians are peace loving and non-violent. Do we not say "The spikes protect us only" (a passive stance)?. It was only the Truists (a small if vociferous minority) who started actually throwing them during the great split of 745AP and, furthermore, who then rejected the Great Canning Reformation (when, you may recall, sugar was added). We don't burn down houses now (well, only in a metaphorical sense during the festival of Upside Down Cake) and do not condone Truist extremist acts. As for the Del Montist Heretics don't get me started....

Interested Party, Reading
11/10/2012 at 13:54

@Interested Party, you are sorely mistaken, for MY pineapple is the one TRUE pineapple. I'm afraid I now have to burn your house to the ground and help myself to your pocessions. Not my rules you understand, it is the will of my pineapple.

Vestan Pance
11/10/2012 at 13:40

I am a PineApplist and understand that they named our sacred fruit "Jesus". This is an insult to our fruitarian beliefs. To associate the sweet flesh of our Lord ("Beneath the Spikes is the taste we likes": The Book of Ananas; Ch 3 V4) with a meat-eating, human sacrificial sect is nothing short of blasphemy. We call upon the Bromeliaceae (the Family of Pineapples under the Order Poales) to kick up a fuss. We also understand that the Pina (Pines be upon Him) was called "Mohammed" but that's OK boys, we#re quite relaxed on that one.....

Interested Party, Reading
11/10/2012 at 12:34

omerio, no disrespect but I think you misunderstand the meaning of FREEDOM OF SPEECH we have in this country. My friend who has a dog called 'god' and NO ONE has taken offense to that. It's only an insult if you're closed minded enough to see it as an insult. It could be intended as a compliment that someone wants to name an item of any kind after someone or something else not an insult....not likely but it is possible.

A Disgruntled Reading Resident, Reading
11/10/2012 at 11:47

Naughty Dangermouse - I let the air out of him with a pair of scissors..........

Tenacious, Tilehurst
11/10/2012 at 10:14

"Work Colleages once gave me a blow up doll as a secret santa present. I called it Paul after my boss very openly as it had the same colour hair. "

So how long have you been sleeping with your boss?

~Dangermouse~, Baker Street
11/10/2012 at 07:51

I suppose it was only a matter of time before some tool pulled Isl*maphobia out of the crack in their *rse. And we were doing so well too.

Religon is the opiate of terrorists, paedophiles and d ickheads. Can anyone explain to me why Kenneth Copeland has a airport runway in his back garden. Well can they?

There are a few people who are going to be so screwed when Jesus finally does return and sees all the debt that's been racked up on his Amex card.

~Dangermouse~, Baker Street
11/10/2012 at 07:50

Work Colleages once gave me a blow up doll as a secret santa present. I called it Paul after my boss very openly as it had the same colour hair.

I doubt he reads get reading but just in case "Hi Paul".

Tenacious, Tilehurst
11/10/2012 at 07:08

A few in the net !!!

John Bull
10/10/2012 at 23:34

I name this pineapple 'omerio'. God bless her and all who pray to her. I do this thrice, in homage to omerios's boss who liketh not the moniker an smithet omerio sorely.

For it is said, "whomsoever repeateth the same post thricely shall be curs'ed among Getreading contributors."

Here endeth the rambling. Peas be upon us all, and verily all manner of beans and pulses.

For is it not written,"Oh b*gger this, I'm off to bed."

N Tropy
10/10/2012 at 23:11

There is a difference between freedom of speech and freedom to insult and most of the time freedom to insult is packaged under the freedom of speech banner. Would you dare having a pineapple at work and give the name of your boss?, do you think he will be please and may be give you a promotion for being funny and freely expressing yourself?. No you wouldn't. Would you have a pineapple in an event where Jews are taking part and name it Moses?. No you wouldn't because you will be labelled anti Semitic. So let us be fair people and don't let Islamophobia & hate blind your hearts. There is freedom of speech and there is the sick jokes that no one likes

omerio
10/10/2012 at 21:55

There is a difference between freedom of speech and freedom to insult and most of the time freedom to insult is packaged under the freedom of speech banner. Would you dare having a pineapple at work and give the name of your boss, do you think he will give a promotion for being funny and freely expressing your speech. No you wouldn't, why work another example would you have a pineapple in an event where Jews are taking part and name it Moses. No you wouldn't. So let us be fair people and don't let Islam-phobia & hate blind your hearts

omerio
10/10/2012 at 21:52

There is a difference between freedom of speech and freedom to insult and most of the time freedom to insult is packaged under the freedom of speech banner. Would you dare having a pineapple at work and give the name of your boss, do you think he will give a promotion for being funny and freely expressing your speech. No you wouldn't, why work another example would you have a pineapple in an event where Jews are taking part and name it Moses. No you wouldn't. So let us be fair people and don't let Islam-phobia & hate blind your hearts

omerio
10/10/2012 at 21:52

Offence, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

I am offended by many of the tenets of Islam, but I don't riot and burn things! And if they want to call me an infidel, and regard me as a lower form of life, that is their problem, not mine. I turn the other cheek.