Muslim Woman Jailed for Refusing to Remove Scarf for Ga. Court
A Georgia judge ordered a Muslim woman jailed for 10 days after she refused to remove her scarf for court.
Lisa Valentine, whose Islamic name is Miedah, served less than a day, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The reason for her early release Tuesday evening wasn’t clear, the newspaper says.
Valentine’s husband, Omar Hall, told the newspaper that court personnel stopped Valentine at the metal detector and asked her to remove her scarf. She refused for religious reasons and then uttered an expletive, he said. A bailiff then handcuffed Valentine and took her before the judge, he added.
Hill said the couple is planning a lawsuit.
Judge Keith Rollins of Douglasville sentenced Valentine. A week before, he reportedly ejected another woman from his courtroom over the same issue, according to the publication.
Earlier this year, federal judges in Los Angeles and Detroit dismissed lawsuits asserting a right to wear an Islamic head scarf in courthouses.
