Ga. judge jails Muslim woman over head scarf
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.
I am outraged! She wasn’t even in court, she was turning to leave and the bailiff handcuffed her!!
She’s serving 10 days for observing her religious rights? I’ve been to Georgia, but I wasn’t aware of a law that bans head covering in court. Islamaphobes have tried to depict this case as some sort of attempt to impose Islamic law. They continue to demonize the only organization that defends the civil rights of Muslims in America, CAIR. Muslim women in America want the right to practice their religious freedom and enjoy their civil rights. The fact that they court will not accommodate Muslim women who observe their religious code is a clear violation of this country’s principles. How can we be full participants in this society if we cannot even go before a judge? CAIR should not be the only group involved, NAACP, ACLU, and any other organization that cares about equal rights for all citizens.