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CAIR Bulletin – June 28, 2007
GA Muslim barred from court over Islamic scarf
CAIR asks state attorney general to ensure equal access
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 28, 2007 - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported today that a Georgia Muslim seeking to contest a speeding ticket was allegedly barred from a courtroom in that state because she wears an Islamic headscarf, or hijab.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the woman was prevented from entering the Valdosta, Ga., courtroom of Municipal Court Judge Vernita Lee Bender earlier this week by uniformed officers who reportedly demanded that she remove her scarf.
According to the woman, the officers barred her entry despite being told that she wears the scarf for religious reasons and after she offered to let a female officer perform a body search. One of the officers allegedly stated that the denial of entry to the courtroom was due to "homeland security" and that allowing her to enter would show "disrespect" to the judge.
The officers reportedly summoned the clerk of court who told the Muslim woman that she could schedule a future court date. After being told that she would be unable to enter the court at any future date while wearing her scarf, the Muslim woman felt compelled to agree to a plea of nolo contendere and was fined $168.
Through the clerk of court, Judge Bender communicated an apology for the denial of entry, but was quoted as saying that "we have rules that everyone has to follow."
In a letter to Georgia Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker, CAIR wrote:
"We assert that Judge Bender's actions violate the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct, which states: 'Judges shall perform judicial duties without bias or prejudice. Judges shall not, in the performance of judicial duties, by words or conduct manifest bias or prejudice, including but not limited to bias or prejudice based upon race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status, and shall not permit staff, court officials and others subject to judicial direction and control to do so.'
"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 Bender's actions are in violation of First and Fourteenth Amendment rights to freedom of religion and equal protection under the law. Two state supreme courts have ruled that government must show a compelling state interest in preventing religious head coverings in a courtroom. Obviously, we believe that no such compelling interest exists in this case.
"If enforced across the board, Judge Bender's 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."
CAIR requested Attorney General Baker to "take appropriate action to ensure that the legal, religious and civil rights of Georgians of all faiths be maintained."
The Washington-based group also asked for a formal apology from Judge Bender and a written assurance that the Muslim woman and all others wearing religious attire be allowed in her court.
CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 33 offices, chapters and affiliates 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.
Associate Press – June 22, 2007
School apologizes for demanding
Muslim girl remove headscarf
Juliana Barbassa
SAN FRANCISCO – A Muslim teenager who was ordered by a school monitor to take off a headscarf she wore for religious reasons returned to classes after school officials apologized to the family.
Issra Omer, 13, told her parents she was too embarrassed to show up for summer school classes at Seaside High School in Monterey County on Wednesday, the day after a monitor demanded she remove her hijab, the Muslim scarf covering the head and neck, to conform to the district's no-hat policy.
Issra, whose family is originally from Sudan, explained that her scarf is worn for religious reasons, but the school employee still yelled at her, said her father, Yousif Omer. The teenager, who will be starting 9th grade in the fall, felt humiliated by being singled out in front of her peers, and started crying, he said.
The school's principal, Syd Renwick, explained the employee didn't intend any harm. “It was a religious expression that wasn't recognized as such,” Renwick said. “There was not malicious intent.”
Renwick sent a letter of apology to the family and offered to apologize in person. But the family and a national Muslim civil liberties organization would like the school to issue a public apology.
“We don't want the students to walk away thinking it's OK to humiliate someone who is different, particularly in an educational institution,” said Abiya Ahmed, with the San Francisco chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations……..
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20070622-1431-ca-headscarfflap.html
CAIR Bulletin – June 21, 2007
CAIR-MN announces resolution of
school harassment complaints
ST. PAUL, Minnesota, June 21, 2007 - The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) today announced the resolution of a case of alleged anti-Muslim harassment at a middle school in that state.
In May of this year, CAIR-MN called for investigation of a series of reported anti-Muslim incidents at Westwood Middle School in Blaine, Minn. The Islamic civil rights group said it had received complaints about Islamophobic remarks and actions by students and staff at the school.
The reported incidents included a Muslim student who wears an Islamic head scarf being called a "terrorist" and told "go back to your country" and two Muslim students who alleged that they were verbally taunted about their religion and had food thrown at them.
SEE: Probe of MN Anti-Muslim School Incidents Sought
SEE ALSO: Rights Group Seeks Harassment Inquiry (Star Tribune)
After completion of an investigation, the school says it will take steps that include improving internal communications so that every alleged bias incident will be reported to the principal for appropriate action, adding information about major world religions to the geography curriculum, and creating a "school climate task force" composed of staff and students to help assess changes that may be needed to make the school a better place for all students and staff. The district is also in the process of hiring a "diversity coordinator."
In addition, a staff member who made inappropriate references to a Muslim student's faith will send that student a letter of apology.
"We thank Westwood Middle School officials for their prompt and professional handling of these reported incidents and appreciate the comprehensive nature of the steps taken to promote diversity and mutual respect," CAIR-MN Vice Chair Thasneem Ahmed.
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