Riverwood Presbyterian Church

Up In Smoke

by Clay Staggs

Vancouver, BC, is apparently in the process of banning smoking on city sidewalks, bus shelters, and taxis. Now, I could write about how ridiculous that is, and I’d be right. However, that ridiculousness pales in comparison to the ridiculousness of the exception they’re granting. Get ready: Muslim hookah pipe smokers are exempt. You can read all about it here.

Now, if Christians came forward and requested an exemption to any civil law, the ACLU types would be in complete uproar. The Christians would be accused of trying to foist their beliefs on all of society. Yet, somehow, where Muslims are concerned, their needs and wants trump civil society’s.

Ostensibly, cigarette smoke is so intolerable, so unhealthy that nary a whiff can be inhaled on the city streets. Unless, of course, the smoker is Muslim, at which point, I suppose, all the non-Muslims’ health needs suddenly become of secondary concern. Quote:

Hookah lounges are essential for immigrants from hookah-smoking cultures, because it helps them deal with the depression common for newcomers and gives them places like they have at home.

How non-Muslims are to deal with depression is left unclear (though, personally, I’d advise the depressed non-Muslim denizens of Vancouver to consider moving).

I mean, what else is one to conclude? To put in Orwellian terms (apropos), some religions are more equal than others.

HT: Mark Steyn at the Corner.