The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate a series of incidents in which Muslim women in Georgia were prevented from entering courtrooms because they were wearing Islamic headscarves, or hijabs. In the most recent incident, a Muslim woman was jailed following a dispute over whether she could enter the courtroom while wearing her hijab. According to the woman’s husband, she was seeking to enter the courtroom in Douglasville, Ga., to deal with a matter related to a nephew’s traffic citation. After she walked through the security area, a bailiff allegedly told her she would not be permitted to enter the courtroom wearing her religiously-mandated scarf. The bailiff reportedly handcuffed her and took her to the judge’s chambers where she was sentenced to 10 days in jail for “contempt.” Members of the local Islamic community told CAIR that there have been at least two previous incidents involving Muslims being prevented from wearing religious attire in court.
MUSLIMS BARRED FROM COURT BECAUSE OF HIJAB
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate a series of incidents in which Muslim women in Georgia were prevented from entering courtrooms because they were wearing Islamic headscarves, or hijabs.
