Now who’s offended by breastfeeding in public?

I should know better than to read an article about breastfeeding in the Daily Mail. What can I say? I’m weak and I can’t control my reading habits – I stumble my way across the Internet on a daily basis flitting from one site to another as big shiny headlines grab my eye. Which is how today I ended up here:
Breastfeeding mother told to leave council headquarters because she would offend Muslim visitors.

Come again?

They had me. I had to read it, knowing I wouldn’t like what I read. Essentially, a seemingly militant receptionist took exception to a mother asking where she could feed her child, and told her to use the public toilets in the local shopping centre, because the civic offices were a “multicultural building” and some people might be offended.

I read the article twice and I didn’t see Muslims mentioned anywhere in it so I don’t know why they are the focus of the headline. I am the first to admit that my knowledge of Muslim attitudes towards breastfeeding is minimal at best. However, somewhere at the back of my mind I have a niggling memory of reading something about the Koran actually mandating breastfeeding. So I did some digging online and found this quote on The Lactivist:

Islam prescribed breastfeeding and commanded children do so until they attain full power and strength, as breastfeeding greatly impacts children’s growth and development. Allah gave the required time period for breastfeeding. He said, “The mothers shall give suckling to their children for two whole years.” (Al-Baqarah: 233)

Interesting.

So ignoring the Daily Mail’s headline, whose sensibilities was that receptionist really protecting? Was she really concerned with safeguarding any minorities in the building from witnessing anything that they might possibly find offensive? I don’t think so. If protecting those in minority was her real concern, then she should have been watching out for the mother who was breastfeeding her five month old. Now there’s a minority who just might need protecting.

Protecting from whom, you might ask. Oh dear. I have another confession. I did more than just read the article. I read about 50 of the comments associated with it. Why do I do these things to myself? The anger and outrage that is voiced in those comments. It would shock and stun you. Not anger and outrage about what happened – oh no! Outrage that this woman dared to attempt to feed her child in a public place. I refuse to quote any of the comments here, because they were hateful enough the first time I read them. I certainly don’t want to give them further publicity on my site.

If you ever wondered why it’s so important that the right to breastfeed in public is protected by law, just read a sample of those comments and you’ll understand.