<http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005071761,00.html>
The Sun Newspaper Online - UK's biggest selling newspaper Monday, February 14, 2005 No passport for bare baby By JOHN COLES THE Home Office refused to issue a baby with a passport - claiming his topless picture could upset Muslims. Mum Tracey Barnes was furious when bureaucrats returned photos of bare-chested son Lewis. And Muslim leaders blasted the decision as "absurd in the extreme". Tracey said last night: "It's so politically correct it is untrue. Lewis wasn't born with a stripy top on." The trouble began when the seven-month-old tot was sick as he waited for a photographer to snap him so he could go on a family trip to Crete. Tracey, 36, took his jumper off and sent the snaps to the Passport Service. They were returned marked "not acceptable for passport purposes as the child appears to be unclothed". Helpline staff told Tracey and printer husband Steve, 44, from Claverham, North Somerset, to cover Lewis up. Snap judgment ... tot's bare-chest photo The angry mum said: "One man told me: 'If you were to travel to an Islamic country they might find it offensive.' I told him we were going to Greece and it was a baby." The couple had to get fresh snaps before the passport was issued. 'Extreme' ... Home Office letter A spokeswoman for the Muslim Council of Great Britain said: "The Home Office is imposing morality on us without consulting us. Even in the most strict Islamic country, I would be staggered if anyone found the sight of a semi-naked baby offensive." But the Home Office said: "Some countries have a problem with anyone uncovered. We advise people not to use photos showing that much flesh." -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Take a look at donorschoose.org, an excellent charitable web site for anyone who cares about public education! http://us.click.yahoo.com/_OLuKD/8WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
