Saturday, July 02, 2005
When in Brussels...
There are apparently limits even to Belgian cultural relativism. Visiting Iranians tried to insist that their Belgian hosts abstain from beer at lunch, apparently taking the point of view that Islamic law not only prohibits them from drinking, but it also prohibits them from suffering drinking to exist in their presence.
De Croo is my kind of Belgian! But is he also a skilled politician? Did he tweak the Iranians over their Islamic tea-totalling because he thought it would win votes?
In any case, the next time I'm in Tehran, I'm going to insist that my hosts join me in a friendly game of "quarters."
CWCID: The Emirates Economist.
A lunch meeting between a leading parliamentarian in Belgium and counterparts from Iran has been canceled because the beer-loving Belgian could not stomach a ban on alcohol.
"Even for the tolerant Herman De Croo, that was a bridge too far," De Croo, a Dutch-speaking Liberal, told De Standaard daily Thursday.
De Croo, president of parliament's lower house, had been due to entertain the speaker and members of the Iranian parliament Friday during their visit to Belgium -- famous for its diversity of beer brands.
But he said lunch had been canceled because the Iranians, who as Muslims do not drink alcohol, wanted their hosts to do the same.
De Croo is my kind of Belgian! But is he also a skilled politician? Did he tweak the Iranians over their Islamic tea-totalling because he thought it would win votes?
In any case, the next time I'm in Tehran, I'm going to insist that my hosts join me in a friendly game of "quarters."
CWCID: The Emirates Economist.
1 Comments:
By 
geoffrobinson, at
Sat Jul 02, 10:46:00 AM:
Belgian beer is fantastic. I wouldn't let a mullah let me part with it either.
