Freedom of Religion
So Georgia (home sweet home) is making national headlines. But not in a good way. A Douglasville woman named Lisa Valentine was ordered to remove her head covering before entering a courtroom, and upon hearing that her head covering was worn for religious reasons the bailiff told her that did not matter and she must still remove it. A small argument ensued, and Mrs. Valentine was arrested in contempt of court. Is this legal? From my understanding policies that cover a ban on head coverings excludes those worn for religious reasons. While I understand that the argument could be used that she is hiding something, I could just as easily hide something in my panties when I went to court. They, however, would know they had a lawsuit on their hands if they told me to remove those.
It is sad when there are still government agencies that do not set themselves against this kind of discrimination. I have no real stake regarding the religious freedom of the United States, I think that the proposal for building no new mosques would render it null and void, but I do however have a certain respect and care for people, as well as for the existence of a justice system that apparently needs it priorities set straight. I appreciate my rights as a United States citizen, but I am not a chain to them, nor do I feel I am deserving of them the way many might. I am entitled only to what my maker gives me. Am I lucky to be in a place where I am not persecuted daily? Yes. But it could just as easily be taken away (the way so many’s in the world are)? Yes. And although Mrs. Valentine only served 6 hours of her 10 day sentence, there was still valuable time and money spent on her foray into the public system. Much like the police officers who allow their cars to idle while sitting in IHOP for an hour, this is something I cannot understand. It saddens me that there is still an existence of such petty prejudices, especially in a country that claims to be “free.”
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