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| FIFA defends hijab ban after Iranian team forfeits match CNN "Despite initial assurances that the Iranian delegation understood this, the players came out wearing the hijab, and the head and neck totally covered, … |
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| Iran: FIFA’s headscarf ban ‘dictatorial,’ ‘inhumane’ SportingNews.com Zadeh called FIFA’s ban "extremism," similar to Afghanistan’s Taliban restrictions on women in sports. FIFA banned the hijab in 2007 and has extended the … |
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| Muslim Women Athletes Banned From Tournaments Get Creative With Hijabs ABC News A FIFA official said that the headscarves violated their rules for dress and … As an athletic Muslim who chooses not to wear a hijab in her daily life, … |
by Libby Zay (RSS feed) on Jun 22nd 2011 at 3:30PM
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling on Air France for a formal apology after a Muslim passenger service agent at Washington Dulles International Airport allegedly fell victim to the fashion police and was told she could not wear her head scarf because of an Air France dress code.
After refusing to disregard her religions beliefs and practices by taking off her hijab, a head covering that hides hair and drapes over the neck, the woman was sent home. France enacted a controversial “burqua ban” in April that affected up two 2,000 women who wore head-to-toe veils in public.
“It is clear that a discriminatory dress code implemented in France would not superseded American laws protecting the religious rights of employees. Air France must follow American law and grant reasonable religious accommodations for its employees,” wrote CAIR Staff Attorney Gadeir Abbas in a letter to Patrick Roux, vice president and general manager of Air France, U.S. Operations.
Abbas maintains this case is symptomatic of the rise in anti-Muslim sentiment in American society, and points to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals because of their religion.
It is unclear how long the woman worked for Air France before the incident took place.
Muslim’s scarf leads to arrest at courthouse
A Douglasville, Ga. woman was jailed Tuesday after a judge found her in contempt of court for refusing to remove her hijab, the head covering worn by Muslim women.
Lisa Valentine, also known by her Islamic name, Miedah, 40, was arrested at the Douglasville Municipal Court for violating a court policy of no headgear, said Chris Womack, deputy chief of operations for the Douglasville police.
Judge Keith Rollins ordered her held in jail for 10 days, but she was released Tuesday evening. The reason for the early release wasn’t immediately clear.
“It was very humiliating, degrading,” Valentine said from her home Tuesday evening. “I wear my hijab faithfully and for no reason I was asked to take it off. It was unreal.”
Other Muslim women said the same judge has ordered them to remove their hijabs.
Sabreen Abdul Rahman, 55, said she was asked to take off her scarf when she went to the municipal court last week with her son. “I can’t. I’m Muslim,” she mouthed silently to the bailiff, who then removed her from the courtroom, Rahman said.
“This is a religious right,” she said
Halimah Abdullah, 43, said she spent 24 hours in jail in November 2007 after Rollins held her in contempt of court for refusing to remove her head covering. Rollins could not be reached for comment.
Many Muslim women cover their heads to comply with Islamic mandates of modesty. The practice has run afoul of policies aimed at maintaining decorum and security in courtrooms and other public places across the country.
Valentine said she was accompanying her 19-year-old nephew to address a citation Tuesday morning when she was stopped at the metal detector and told she would not be allowed to enter the courtroom with a head scarf.
Valentine, an insurance underwriter, told the bailiff that she had been in courtrooms before with a scarf on and that removing it would be a religious violation.
Frustrated, she turned to leave and uttered an expletive. She said the bailiff then told her she could take the matter up in front of the judge. She said she was handcuffed and taken into Rollins’ courtroom.
“They were putting me in there like I was some sort of criminal,” she said.
The judge ordered her to serve 10 days in jail, where she was forced to remove her headscarf.
It was not clear whether Valentine’s language contributed to her arrest.
“I can’t believe someone would do this in America,” said Valentine’s husband, Omar Hall.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, an advocacy group in Washington, denounced Valentine’s arrest as a violation of civil liberties.
Spokesman Ibrahim Hooper called it “troubling.”
“When somebody is denied access to our judicial system based on religiously mandated attire, then what does that say? No Muslim woman can have access to a courtroom in Douglasville, Georgia?” Hooper said.
“A judge does have the right to set decorum in a courtroom, but you can’t use those standards to violate someone’s legal rights.”
Last year, CAIR officials met with city and court officials in Valdosta to discuss religious attire in courtrooms after Aniisa Karim, a 20-year-old Muslim woman, was barred from entering a courtroom to settle a traffic ticket because of her hijab.
Hooper said he contacted the U.S. attorney general’s office regarding the latest incident. He said Eric Treene, special counsel for religious discrimination, said his office would look into it.
In a letter sent today to Attorney General Baker, CAIR National Legal Counsel Nadhira F. Al-Khalili wrote in part:
“We assert that Judge Rollins’ actions violate the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct…It is also our contention that a courtroom is a ‘public facility’ under Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and denial of access to the courtroom based on religious beliefs or practices is therefore discriminatory.
“In addition, we believe Judge Rollins’ actions are in violation of First and Fourteenth Amendment rights to freedom of religion and equal protection under the law. The United States Supreme Court has held that a state may not infringe upon the free exercise of a citizen’s religious observance absent a compelling state interest.We believe that no such compelling interest exists in these cases.
“Judge Rollins’ policy of exclusion would prohibit court entry to all Sikh men wearing turbans, all orthodox Jewish men and women wearing yarmulkes or head scarves, all Christian women wearing religious head coverings, and all Muslim men and women who wear skullcaps or scarves…
“I would therefore respectfully request that you take appropriate action to ensure that the legal, religious and civil rights of Georgians of all faiths be maintained. I would also request a formal investigation into this matter, sanctions where appropriate, and an assurance that all those wearing religious attire be allowed in state courtrooms.”
A copy of the letter was sent to the Judicial District Professionalism Program of the State Bar of Georgia.
CAIR also contacted the U.S. Department of Justice, which now says it is looking into the case.
CAIR, America’s largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
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