The next huge Muslim seethe-fest will be over the 2012 London Olympics: Muslims’ anger as London Olympics clash with Ramadan. (Hat tip: LGF readers.)

And it will be no surprise at all if the International Olympic Committee caves in to pressure (and the inevitable threats) and reschedules the games.

The 2012 London Olympics have been plunged into controversy by the discovery that the Games will clash with Ramadan, the most holy month in the Islamic calendar.

The clash will put Muslim athletes at a disadvantage as they will be expected to fast from sunrise to sunset for the entire duration of the Games.

In 2012, Ramadan will take place from July 21 to August 20, while the Olympics run from July 27 to August 12. An anticipated 3,000 Muslim competitors are expected to be affected. About a quarter of the 11,099 athletes who took part in the 2004 Athens Olympics came from countries with predominantly Muslim populations.

Because the Muslim calendar is based on a lunar cycle, the ninth month of Ramadan - which runs from the appearance of one new crescent moon to the next - gets earlier by around 11 days each year.

The clash will be a huge embarrassment for Lord Coe, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, and London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who have been keen to ensure the Games involve all Britain’s ethnic communities.

Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of the London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission, said: “They would not have organised this at Christmas. It is equally stupid to organise it at Ramadan. It shows a complete lack of awareness and sensitivity.”

“This is going to disadvantage the athletes and alienate the Asian communities by saying they don’t matter.” [And this, of course, will force them to become violent. —ed.]

“It’s not only going to affect the participants it’s going to affect all the people who want to watch the Games. They won’t want to travel during Ramadan and they won’t want to watch sport. It’s a spiritual time.”

UPDATE at 10/15/06 8:57:51 am:

Islamic Human Rights Commission chairman Massoud Shadjareh, by the way, in addition to his job of badgering Brits who criticize Islam, is also an open supporter of Hizballah.

UPDATE at 10/15/06 9:14:21 am:

So I guess that gigantic Olympic mosque project isn’t going to mollify them?