Non-Muslim Brit father and son banned from swimming in a pool

The Clissold Leisure Centre in North London is in a soup after it denied a non-Muslim man and his son entry to their swimming pool.

London, Apr.19 : The Clissold Leisure Centre in North London is in a soup after it denied a non-Muslim man and his son entry to their swimming pool.

According to The Telegraph, staff at the centre turned David Toube and his five-year-old son Harry during a men-only session.

The council of the area has now admitted that workers at Clissold Leisure Centre in Hackney had made a mistake and have offered the family an apology.

Toube, 39, a lawyer, said they visited the baths at 9 a.m. on Sunday.

"I asked whether my son and I could go as we were both male. I was told that the session was for Muslims only and that we could not be admitted."

Toube then spoke to the duty manager, who confirmed he could not enter.

"I asked what would happen if I turned up and insisted I was Muslim.

"The manager suggested that they might ask the Muslims swimming if they minded my son and I swimming with them. If they didn't object, we might be allowed in."

Toube claimed he was told by a member of staff on a subsequent visit that it was a "requirement of the Muslim religion that Muslims could not swim with non-Muslims".

He said: "I asked him whether Clissold leisure centre would institute whites-only swimming for racists. His answer was that they would if there was sufficient demand."

Toube said that he has since spoken to a number of Muslim friends, and none of them had heard of a religious prohibition on swimming with non-Muslims.

ANI