A COUNCIL has sparked fury by virtually shutting a swimming pool on Sunday afternoons for "Muslim-only" sessions.
All women are banned — and non-Muslim men may swim IF they follow the strict Islamic dress code of swim shorts that hide the navel and extend below the knee.
Croydon Council in South London runs the sessions at Thornton Heath leisure centre between 4.45pm and 6.45pm.
Similar slots are laid on for Muslim women outside opening hours, where bathers must be covered from the neck down to the ankle.
Locals who flock to the area’s only major leisure centre each week are furious.
Member Daniel Foley, 44, said: "I turned up and saw a sign saying it was closing early for Muslim afternoon — I couldn’t believe it."
Nearby Croydon Mosque defended the move. It said: "Muslims are not allowed to show off intimate parts of their body. This is non-negotiable. Muslims have as much right to go swimming as anyone else."
Alex Craig, 34, said: "I think it is preposterous that a council should be encouraging this type of segregation over municipal facilities.
"It seems the issue here is over modesty. Surely if Muslims want to swim then they should just turn up with their modest swimwear at the same time as everyone else.
"To make a special provision for them is just ridiculous and strikes me as imposing an 'Us and them' mentality which is wrong."
Sarah Fellows, 37, said: "I take my kids all the time but I did notice they had introduced the men-only Muslim afternoon a while back though they've now changed the times as well.
"I am not opposed to swimming sessions divided by gender but I am opposed to sessions divided by religion. How inclusive is that?"
Croydon Council said: "We are keen to ensure sports facilities are there for everyone."
All women are banned — and non-Muslim men may swim IF they follow the strict Islamic dress code of swim shorts that hide the navel and extend below the knee.
Croydon Council in South London runs the sessions at Thornton Heath leisure centre between 4.45pm and 6.45pm.
Similar slots are laid on for Muslim women outside opening hours, where bathers must be covered from the neck down to the ankle.
Locals who flock to the area’s only major leisure centre each week are furious.
Member Daniel Foley, 44, said: "I turned up and saw a sign saying it was closing early for Muslim afternoon — I couldn’t believe it."
Nearby Croydon Mosque defended the move. It said: "Muslims are not allowed to show off intimate parts of their body. This is non-negotiable. Muslims have as much right to go swimming as anyone else."
Alex Craig, 34, said: "I think it is preposterous that a council should be encouraging this type of segregation over municipal facilities.
"It seems the issue here is over modesty. Surely if Muslims want to swim then they should just turn up with their modest swimwear at the same time as everyone else.
"To make a special provision for them is just ridiculous and strikes me as imposing an 'Us and them' mentality which is wrong."
Sarah Fellows, 37, said: "I take my kids all the time but I did notice they had introduced the men-only Muslim afternoon a while back though they've now changed the times as well.
"I am not opposed to swimming sessions divided by gender but I am opposed to sessions divided by religion. How inclusive is that?"
Croydon Council said: "We are keen to ensure sports facilities are there for everyone."
A council has been fiercely criticised for holding ethnic-minority only swimming sessions.
Wolverhampton City Council employs special life-guards and instructors for the sessions, which are open to the city's black and Asian residents only.
It claims the weekly periods are for women and children with "religious or cultural issues which would otherwise prevent them from taking part."
But furious pool-users say they amount to racial segregation and claim they are being prevented from using the pool - simply because they may be white.
The hour-long, Thursday evening sessions at Wolverhampton's Central Baths replace an aqua-aerobics session that was previously open to all.
They are financially supported by Kellogg's Swim Active programme, which has funded the installation of special blinds around the pool, designed to protect swimmers' privacy.
The special sessions started in November and run every Thursday evening. It is not known exactly how many people take part.
Yesterday, swimmer Leslie Waugh, from Walsall, said: "It's wrong. The council bangs on about integration but then does something like this. The women even have their own instructor and lifeguard brought in for the sessions and the regular workers have to leave."
Local councillor Malcolm Gwinnett said: "It's one thing to have an all-women session, that's fine. But it should be all women of whatever religion, not just one religion, which leaves everyone else out in the cold."
Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell said: "This seems to be exactly the sort of thing that creates division and resentment rather than bringing people together.
"I'd like to know what the logic behind this is. It sounds like a pretty bad idea to me and just the sort of thing that councils should not be doing."
A Wolverhampton City Council spokesman said complaints about the scheme had been received by reception staff at the baths.
She said: "It is one of the most ambitious schemes in the country and aims to tackle childhood obesity, engage the city's ethnic minority communities and work with children who fear water.
"An initial trial of eight weeks is providing an opportunity for women and children from ethnic minorities, who may not otherwise participate for cultural and religious reasons."
The Wolverhampton ethnic-minority swim sessions come after leisure centre in Croydon, South London, opened its pool to Muslims only for two hours every week.
Thornton Heath Leisure Centre insist that men wear shorts which hide the navel and extend below the knee. Women wear a swimming costume that covers their body from the neck down to the ankle. There are separate sessions for men and women.
In common with the Wolverhampton plan, the sessions were condemned by local people for encouraging segregation.
Wolverhampton City Council employs special life-guards and instructors for the sessions, which are open to the city's black and Asian residents only.
It claims the weekly periods are for women and children with "religious or cultural issues which would otherwise prevent them from taking part."
But furious pool-users say they amount to racial segregation and claim they are being prevented from using the pool - simply because they may be white.
The hour-long, Thursday evening sessions at Wolverhampton's Central Baths replace an aqua-aerobics session that was previously open to all.
They are financially supported by Kellogg's Swim Active programme, which has funded the installation of special blinds around the pool, designed to protect swimmers' privacy.
The special sessions started in November and run every Thursday evening. It is not known exactly how many people take part.
Yesterday, swimmer Leslie Waugh, from Walsall, said: "It's wrong. The council bangs on about integration but then does something like this. The women even have their own instructor and lifeguard brought in for the sessions and the regular workers have to leave."
Local councillor Malcolm Gwinnett said: "It's one thing to have an all-women session, that's fine. But it should be all women of whatever religion, not just one religion, which leaves everyone else out in the cold."
Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell said: "This seems to be exactly the sort of thing that creates division and resentment rather than bringing people together.
"I'd like to know what the logic behind this is. It sounds like a pretty bad idea to me and just the sort of thing that councils should not be doing."
A Wolverhampton City Council spokesman said complaints about the scheme had been received by reception staff at the baths.
She said: "It is one of the most ambitious schemes in the country and aims to tackle childhood obesity, engage the city's ethnic minority communities and work with children who fear water.
"An initial trial of eight weeks is providing an opportunity for women and children from ethnic minorities, who may not otherwise participate for cultural and religious reasons."
The Wolverhampton ethnic-minority swim sessions come after leisure centre in Croydon, South London, opened its pool to Muslims only for two hours every week.
Thornton Heath Leisure Centre insist that men wear shorts which hide the navel and extend below the knee. Women wear a swimming costume that covers their body from the neck down to the ankle. There are separate sessions for men and women.
In common with the Wolverhampton plan, the sessions were condemned by local people for encouraging segregation.
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