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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| MP defends Muslim wedding walkout | MP defends Muslim wedding walkout |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A government minister has defended his decision to walk out of a Muslim wedding in east London because he was told he must sit apart from his wife. | A government minister has defended his decision to walk out of a Muslim wedding in east London because he was told he must sit apart from his wife. |
| Jim Fitzpatrick, food, farming and environment minister, left a ceremony at London Muslim Centre, Whitechapel. | Jim Fitzpatrick, food, farming and environment minister, left a ceremony at London Muslim Centre, Whitechapel. |
| The MP for Poplar and Canning Town told the BBC the segregation showed a degree of intolerance in the East End. | The MP for Poplar and Canning Town told the BBC the segregation showed a degree of intolerance in the East End. |
| But a spokesman for the centre said the segregation was at the request of the couple getting married. | But a spokesman for the centre said the segregation was at the request of the couple getting married. |
| Mr Fitzpatrick, whose constituency is home to a large Muslim community, blamed the tough stance on the Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE) - a controversial organisation that calls for Sharia law - which is based in the same building. | Mr Fitzpatrick, whose constituency is home to a large Muslim community, blamed the tough stance on the Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE) - a controversial organisation that calls for Sharia law - which is based in the same building. |
| The vast number of my Muslim constituents who've contacted me have expressed sympathy Jim Fitzpatrick MP | The vast number of my Muslim constituents who've contacted me have expressed sympathy Jim Fitzpatrick MP |
| He told the BBC's Today: "This is a very exceptional occasion, it's a new occurrence. | He told the BBC's Today: "This is a very exceptional occasion, it's a new occurrence. |
| "It perhaps demonstrates that there is a degree of intolerance - certainly exclusion rather than inclusion which we are trying to build in the East End." | "It perhaps demonstrates that there is a degree of intolerance - certainly exclusion rather than inclusion which we are trying to build in the East End." |
| Mr Fitzpatrick added: "Certainly the vast number of my Muslim constituents who've contacted me have expressed sympathy that I was placed in this predicament." | Mr Fitzpatrick added: "Certainly the vast number of my Muslim constituents who've contacted me have expressed sympathy that I was placed in this predicament." |
| Mohammad Shakir, a spokesman for the centre, said: "Segregated weddings have always been popular in the Muslim community - the London Muslim Centre has facilitated them for over five years. | Mohammad Shakir, a spokesman for the centre, said: "Segregated weddings have always been popular in the Muslim community - the London Muslim Centre has facilitated them for over five years. |
| "It is part of the attraction for Muslim families so they can celebrate their happy day in a religious atmosphere. | "It is part of the attraction for Muslim families so they can celebrate their happy day in a religious atmosphere. |
| "We have always allowed non-Muslim guests to be seated together without segregation, but this is entirely at the discretion of the families who hire the halls." | "We have always allowed non-Muslim guests to be seated together without segregation, but this is entirely at the discretion of the families who hire the halls." |