Judge says she didn't know Muslim woman's scarf was a religious statement, not a fashion statement
A unidentified Muslim woman said she was humiliated by being told to wait outside a Louisiana courtroom to pay a ticket at a traffic hearing this week because she refused to remove her headscarf.
However, Judge Raylyn Beevers, who confirmed the Tuesday incident at Jefferson Parish Traffic Court, said it resulted from a misunderstanding, WDSU reports.
Beevers said she didn’t realized the garment had religious significance and thought it was simply a fashion statement, the station reports.
Following standard court protocol under General Courtroom Conduct Rule 6.1, the woman was asked to step out.
Beevers said that according to the rule, individuals wearing “a hat, knit cap, scarf, skull cap, curler cap, any nonrecognizable religious item, etc.” are first asked to remove the garment. Then, if the person refuses, the bailiff requests that they exit the courtroom and wait outside to speak to a judicial administrator, rather than having the judge question him or her in court.
Nonetheless, the woman told WDSU, she felt “ostracized” by being excluded from court and was so embarrassed and humiliated that she cried.
“Wearing my head covering is not a fashion statement, it’s out of love and respect for Allah,” she said. “I was the most fully covered person in the courtroom compared to other people who just kind of blatantly did not abide by courtroom attire.”
