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Islamic Garb In Public

Do you feel that by wearing the typical dress style of an Imam or hijab can make you a target for harassment by the police and / or people who fear the unknown? Would it be okay under these circumstances to abstain from wearing such attire or would it be more important to observe your religion?

Public Garb Islamic

Unfortunately, I think that wearing any kind of traditional garb unique to your religion or culture will always single you out for harassment. People ridicule what they fear and don't understand. When people don't understand why you wear different cloths, or act a different way, they tend to harass and ridicule it. Its unfortunate, but very true in todays day and age.

Islamic Garb In Public Islam Studies

Suing over headscarf

MADISON A Muslim woman is suing the state, saying guards at a Wisconsin prison violated her rights by ordering her to take off her religious headscarf before she could visit an inmate.
Cynthia Rhouni of Madison says the incident happened in February 2003 at the maximum-security Columbia Correctional Facility in Portage.

She says she felt violated and humiliated when the male guards and inmates saw her exposed.
Ref. https://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=3393557

Public Garb Islamic

I would need to know why they made her remove the headscarf before I could decide if I felt her rights were violated in this case. If it was because they truly believe a weapon or something could be hidden in it, then I believe security needs to come before individual rights. If it was just to harrass her and they claim no hats allowed indoors for example, then her rights were definitely violated, in my opinion.

Public Garb Islamic

Regarding the headscarf in prison...

My 7th grade teacher in 1961 told us that when you go to prison, you loose your rights. You have violated the public trust and the law and are being punished. Does that mean you are subject to physical torture? No... But you are subject to the rules of the prison system.

Religious freedom is not a part of that... though the USA has over the years yielded to pressure to relax and extend prisoner 'rights' to a degree that is equivelant to those who are non-law breakers, the foundational principle of crime and punishment should apply.

Now that prisoners have the right to sue the prison... I wonder what's next. A humble appeal to the Warden is the only alternative I think she should have and that is it. What he says, goes. To make demands when you are under punishment is an oximoron to me and betrays the reason for Prisons.

(of course I don't think there should be a prison system like we have today anyway... but that is for another topic)

Islamic Garb In Public

The woman who is suing the prison wasn't a prisoner, but a visitor.

I can definitely see how a headscarf like that might be considered a risk, as a way to smuggle contraband into the prison. Perhaps when she was informed of this rule, she should have left.

Islamic Garb Public

Well... Nighthawk... this is another example of how a quick scan can lead to a false assumption. Thanks for drawing to my attention my miss of the word 'visitor'.

In our country, freedom of religion is still a right as long as an expression of religion does not promote the overthrow or violation of others rights to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness within the bounds of moral and statute law.

Under Sharia Law... Another woman can perform an inspection without violating the sanctity of this Muslima's body. The principle Quranic Covering (Surah 024:031) is to maintain modesty... to prevent a man from viewing and being tempted.

And of course the argument of no covering vs hijab vs niquab vs berka is, I guess, determined by how threatened by temptation a particular Muslim society percieves a woman to be in these various states of covering.

SteveB

Islamic Garb Public Studies Islam

As a ex-correction office I can tell right away that the reason she was told to remove her scarf was due to the fact that contraband can be hidden inside. On the same idea, visitors that have a artificial arm, leg or had are required to remove it for inspection because to many times drugs and weapons have been hidden inside. I do not know how Wisconsin works, but in New York every prison has large signs telling visitors that they are subject to being searched prior to entering for a visit.