Islam -- it keeps you in shape

David Bernstein discovers an article from London that claims being a Muslim helps keep you fit (my emphasis):

On the surface, Islamic health doesn’t look good: the 2001 census showed that 24 per cent of Muslim women and 21 per cent of Muslim men suffered long-term illness and disability. But these are factors of social conditions rather than religion. In fact, Islam offers Londoners potential health benefits: the Muslim act of prayer is designed to keep worshippers fit, their joints supple and, at five times a day, their stomachs trim. The regular washing of the feet and hands required before prayers promotes public hygiene and would reduce the transmission of superbugs in London’s hospitals.... Application of halal (Arabic for 'permissable' [sic]) dietary laws across London would free us at a stroke from our addiction to junk food [ed: who says Muslims can't eat junk food?], and the general adoption of a south Asian diet rich in fruit juice, rice and vegetables with occasional mutton or chicken would have a drastic effect on obesity, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorders and associated public health problems.

[Unintentionally?] humorously, the article's lede says this:

It’s the capital’s fastest growing religion, based on noble traditions and compassionate principles, yet Islam can still be tainted by mistrust and misunderstanding. Here Time Out argues that an Islamic London would be a better place.

If you're wondering about sharia law, women treated as basically animals, outlawing of other religions, etc., well, you're just engaging in a "hysterical, right-wing nightmare" according to the writer Michael Hodges.

*Sigh*. Keep reading to see if whether Hodges is expressing a "hysterical left-wing fantasy" or not.

Posted by Hube at June 11, 2007 10:14 AM | TrackBack