Judge Ordered Sikh to Remove 'That Rag' from Head, Says ACLU

[cali]

The ACLU has filed two complaints with Mississippi state officials, claiming that a Sikh truck driver was harassed by traffic cops for possessing a religious talisman and then further humiliated by a county judge who referred to his turban as "that rag."

"This is a disgrace and a clear infringement of religious rights," said Bear Atwood, a lawyer for the Mississippi office of the American Civil Liberties Union. "He was treated disgracefully by the Department of Transportation. Then he came back to Mississippi for his court date and was treated very badly by a judge whose behavior was despicable."

On Jan. 16, Jagjeet Singh, 49, a long-haul truck driver from California on his way to pick up chickens for delivery in Texas, was pulled over for driving with a flat tire in Pike County, Miss.

Officers at a weigh station operated by the Department of Transportation demanded that Singh turn over his "kirpan," a 3-inch ceremonial blade carried by all Sikh men and frequently sewed into the waistband of their trousers, according to the ACLU.

<snip>

http://gma.yahoo.com/judge-ordered-sikh-remove-rag-head-says-aclu-112736180--abc-news-topstories.html

[yuiyoshida]

1. What a racist and fanatical country we have become

This is truly beyond disgusting.

[pipoman]

2. "we have become"?

People in every country act similarly and always have...actually the US is probably at it's least racist point in history..

[yuiyoshida]

4. Tea baggers have taken it to a whole new Level...

especially in regards to our President.

[LuvNewcastle]

3. None of this surprises me. Our cops are dicks down here.

We've got some really high-quality jurists, too.

[Enthusiast]

5. The judge is a barbarian.

The nation's judicial system has deteriorated-badly.