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CAIR Bulletin – February 1, 2006
WA judge apologizes for ejecting
Muslim woman from court
SEATTLE, WA, Feb. 1, 2006 - The Seattle, Wash., office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Seattle) today thanked a Tacoma judge who offered an apology to a Muslim woman who was ejected from court for refusing to remove her religiously-mandated headscarf.
CAIR-Seattle also applauded a new policy being formulated to allowing religious exemptions to rules prohibiting head coverings in that state's courtrooms.
The Washington, D.C., based group had intervened on behalf of the woman who was ordered to leave the courtroom of Tacoma Municipal Court Judge David B. Ladenburg on January 25. That incident prompted the decision to alter the head covering policy to allow both religious and medical exemptions.
In a letter to CAIR Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar, Judge Ladenburg wrote:
"I offer my sincerest apology for any discomfort, embarrassment or humiliation she may have felt as a result of my request. My request was a result of sincere and earnest desire to maintain a policy that would be fair to all individuals. There was never intent to discriminate based on religious preference. I will be glad to offer my apology personally should she so desire."
In letters to Judge Ladenburg and Presiding Municipal Court Judge Jack Emery, CAIR contended that Ladenburg's actions were a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the First and 14th Amendment rights to freedom of religion and equal protection under the law and Washington's "Law Against Discrimination" (RCW 49.60.030).
"We thank all those involved in this incident for their quick and decisive actions in defense of tolerance and religious diversity," said CAIR-Seattle President Rami Al-Kabra. "The new policy will be of benefit not only to Muslims, but to Sikh men wearing turbans, orthodox Jewish men and women wearing yarmulkes or head scarves, Christian women wearing religious head coverings, and people of all other faiths who wear religiously-mandated attire."
Associated Press – February 2, 2006
WA: New policy to let Muslim women wear
scarves in court
TACOMA Wash. - The Pierce County Municipal Court is drafting a policy that would let Muslim women wear scarves in court.
Presiding Judge Jack Emery said the policy will say no one should be excluded from a courtroom because of attire worn for religious or medical purposes.
The court set out to draft the policy after a 37-year-old real estate agent complained that a judge made her leave his courtroom because she would not take off her hijab.
"I felt publicly humiliated, like I was just not good enough to sit in court because of my religious beliefs," said Mujaahidah Sayfullah.
Sayfullah said she was in court to support a relative facing domestic violence charges. Judge David Ladenburg said her head scarf violated court policy prohibiting people from wearing hats in court.
Earlier this week, Ladenburg said he never meant to discriminate against Sayfullah. "I offer my sincerest apology for any discomfort, embarrassment or humiliation she may have felt as a result of my request," Ladenburg wrote to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He also offered to apologize to Sayfullah in person.
KOMO 1000 News – January 30, 2006
'I felt humiliated'
A Muslim woman is upset after a Tacoma judge
kicked her out of his courtroom
for refusing to remove her head scarf
Jon Repp
TACOMA, VA - A Tacoma judge is under fire for kicking a Muslim woman out of his courtroom after she refused to remove her head-scarf.
"I felt humiliated," said 37-year old Mujaahidah Sayfullah, who has worn her head-scarf in court before.
She says she couldn't believe it when first the bailiff and then Tacoma Municipal Court Judge David Ladenburg told her as she sat in the audience that either her head-scarf could go -- or she could.
"He said, 'well, if you're not gonna do it then I'm going to have to ask you to remove yourself from the courtroom,' " she said.
She left, fearing the judge would take it out on the relative who was on trial.
Judge Ladenburg stands by his decision
"It's my understanding and belief that the Muslim religion does not prohibit the removal of head-coverings either for males of for females," he says...noting that unless he learns that an exception should be made, there's a courtroom standard that must be upheld.
Ladenburg says it wasn't religious discrimination...but Mujaahidah says it sure felt like it, and that's why she's telling her story.
"Just for it to be exposed, and the public be aware that people are able to blatantly discriminate based upon their position of power," she said.
http://www.komotv.com/stories/41579.htm
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