The Daily Express carries a report that a Muslim shop assistant at a Marks & Spencer store in Reading refused to serve a customer buying a children’s book on Christianity on the grounds that it was “unclean”. Except that, even by the Express‘s own account, this story is disputed. A “source close to the shop assistant” is reported to have said that there has been a misunderstanding. “I think there was some confusion over what the customer heard”, she is quoted as saying.

Not that this leads the Express to question the accuracy of its report, of course. An editorial, headed “Surrender to minority is a parable for our times“, states:

“That a Muslim shop assistant working for Marks & Spencer should feel entitled to refuse to serve a customer buying a book of Bible stories says a lot about what is wrong with Britain today. The absurd culture of political correctness does not only hold the public sector in its grip but is now increasingly dominant among large private sector companies, too…. The incident hints at a workplace culture in which the unreasonable demands of a minority group routinely hold sway…. Every time our institutions surrender to the unreasonable demands of minorities to be excused tasks which the majority are expected to perform, they hammer another nail into the coffin of harmonious race relations.”

And the Express is of course well known for its consistent promotion of harmonious race relations.

Meanwhile the Daily Star opines: “So, here’s the latest news from the frontline of multicultural Britain. A Muslim working as a Marks & Spencer checkout operator refused to sell an ‘unclean’ book of Bible stories. It’s a pity she wasn’t sacked on the spot.”

Update:  The Daily Telegraph reports: “Shop sources said the assistant may have been referring to her hands which were dirty and she did not want to touch the book for fear of marking it. A Marks and Spencer spokesman said: “We are surprised by the allegation and are investigating it thoroughly. It appears there has been a misunderstanding over what was said.”