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Old 01-19-2014, 02:49 AM   #48
Alic
Dojo: Sokushinkan Dojo, Vancouver
Location: Richmond, BC
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 64
Canada
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Re: Teacher OKs "Avoid[ing] touching females on religious grounds"

Personally, as a junior student myself, one of the things I loved about Aikido was the fact that you aren't segregated. Seniors trained with juniors, guys trained with girls. I've even had one on one training with my own sensei (I went home with a limp that day ). This separation of male and female isn't cool, not on the sensei part, as he's just making sure to comply with the law, but on the student's part, who's imposing himself onto other people's lives.

Islam is his religion, it is his believes, and his alone. His religion is not his fellow students, and is certain not binding to anyone else but himself. Why then, would he feel the need to impose his views on others? It would be like me saying that since I hate green onions with a passion, there should be none at the dojo dinner parties. It is absurd to me, as I would just accommodate myself as much as possible without disturbing others. It is, after all, the polite thing to do.

Therefore, I cannot agree with this student on any ground. Sorry fella, I understand that you have a religious duty to abstain from sexual attraction, just like any good shaolin monk would, but you cannot make everybody follow this rule too, as that would be like you forcing everybody to become nuns and monks. It simply isn't how the world works; everybody must decide on their own their own path in life, and think for themselves.

As for distributing religious material on the mats, just... no. Leave all of your baggage at the door, like everyone else. The dojo, especially a Yoshinkan dojo, is definitely not a church, mosque, temple, or shrine. You do not have to bow to the shomen, or even to your fellow students, as rude as that would be, but do not think that the mats is an appropriate place for recruiting people to your faith. Leave that to your Imam please.

Last edited by Alic : 01-19-2014 at 02:51 AM.
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