[Peace-discuss] GA judge jails Muslim woman for hijab

[LAURIE SOLOMON]

>On the other hand, I'm a firm advocate of strict Separation of Church and
State, but that seems not to have been the issue

 

I am not so sure about that.  It is either a "freedom of expression" or a
"freedom of religion" issue or a case of both when you get right down to it.
It would seem that unless the court can show some compelling reason for her
to remove the hijab, it is both a "freedom of religion' and "freedom of
speech issue. In terms of the policy and the court's actions.  If there is a
compelling reason, then it would seem that the courts would make provisions
to accommodate searches in private by persons of the same sex that
accommodate the individuals religious and other ethnic beliefs so as to
allow them to participate in the court process without needing to bare their
heads in public while doing so.   In the case of the guards actions of
cuffing her and taking her before the judge because she exclaimed an
expletive, this also would fall under the freedom of speech provisions of
The Constitution and would not fall under any "shouting fire in a crowded
theater" exemption.

 

Thus, if it is not a case of either of these then I have to wonder what kind
of a legal issue it would be.  Of course, it might be an issue of judicial
arrogance and prejudice- I suppose.

 

From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net
[mailto:peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net] On Behalf Of Morton K.
Brussel
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 12:19 PM
To: Ricky Baldwin
Cc: peace discuss
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] GA judge jails Muslim woman for hijab

 

In some places, it's a sign of disrespect not to have ones head covered.

On the other hand, I'm a firm advocate of strict Separation of Church and
State, but that seems not to have been the issue.  --mkb

 

On Dec 17, 2008, at 11:49 AM, Ricky Baldwin wrote:





You don't have to be Muslim or even pro-religion to see multiple problems
with this kind of pattern.  Came up a couple years ago when France tried
banning the hijab - in schools, I believe.  In some countries they say you
have to wear it, in some they say you can't.  Seems to me, in general, we
should support a person who wants to wear it where they say you can't, and
support a person who doesn't want to where they say you must.

 

Ricky

"Speak your mind even if your voice shakes." - Maggie Kuhn






Ga. judge jails Muslim woman over head scarf


By DIONNE WALKER, Associated Press Writer 12-17-08

ATLANTA - A judge ordered the arrest of a Muslim woman who refused to take
off her head scarf at a court security checkpoint.

The judge ordered Lisa Valentine, 40, to serve 10 days in jail for contempt
of court, said police in Douglasville, a city of about 20,000 people on
Atlanta's west suburban outskirts.

Valentine violated a court policy that prohibits people from wearing any
headgear in court, police said after the Tuesday arrest.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations urged federal
authorities to investigate the incident as well as others in Georgia.

"I just felt stripped of my civil, my human rights," Valentine told The
Associated Press on Wednesday from her home, after she said she was
unexpectedly released once CAIR got involved. Jail officials declined to say
why she was freed.

Municipal Court Judge Keith Rollins said that "it would not be appropriate"
for him to comment on the case.

Last year, a judge in Valdosta in southern Georgia barred a Muslim woman
from entering a courtroom because she would not remove her head scarf. There
have been similar cases in other states, including Michigan, where a Muslim
woman in Detroit filed a federal lawsuit in February 2007 after a judge
dismissed her small-claims court case when she refused to remove a head and
face veil.

Valentine's husband, Omar Hall, said his wife was accompanying her nephew to
a traffic citation hearing when officials stopped her at the metal detector
and told her she would not be allowed in the courtroom with the head scarf,
known as a hijab.

Hall said Valentine, an insurance underwriter, told the bailiff that she had
been in courtrooms before with the scarf on and that removing it would be a
religious violation. When she turned to leave and uttered an expletive, Hall
said a bailiff handcuffed her and took her before the judge.

 

 

 

 

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