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The email for this article was deactivated after the commission unanimously ruled in favor of police policy.
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March 14, 2016
Seven months have passed since CAIR filed a discrimination complaint with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission on behalf of a woman who wants to wear a hijab as an on duty Columbus Ohio police officer.
October 24, 2015
CAIR published the following in their October 22, 2015 News Release:
CAIR-Ohio: Groups Say Head-Scarf Ban for Muslim Officers Condones Prejudice
In August, the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations filed an employment-discrimination complaint over the scarf issue. The group believes that the Ohio constitution and Ohio civil-rights laws allow people to express their faith even if they are government employees.
"If the job of the police is to serve the community, it makes sense that the officer would look like the community," said Romin Iqbal, CAIR-Ohio's staff attorney.
CAIR’s news release boasts about the October 22, 2015 article published in the Columbus Dispatch titled Groups say head-scarf ban for Muslim officers condones prejudice. The article states in part “Other cities, such as Edmonton, Alberta, in Canada, allow head scarves for female Muslim officers, designing a hijab that snaps off if grabbed.” Notice the article does not point out a police force in Ohio or the United States as an example of the policy CAIR demands.
If CAIR succeeds in bullying officials into approving their demand Ohio will become the first state in the union to sanction hijabs for police officers.
September 30, 2015
State of Ohio is investigating CAIR's discrimination complaint against the Columbus Police for not allowing their officers to wear hijabs on duty.
Florida Family Association sent out an email alert on June 24, 2015 titled CAIR denounces Columbus Ohio Police Department for continuing to ban officers from wearing hijabs. The email and online Floridafamily.org article encouraged thousands of people to send emails to thank the Chief of Police, Deputy Chief of Police and Mayor. The emails thanked these officials for continuing a values neutral dress code for law enforcement officers by not opening the policy to allow hijabs, scarves and other cultural attire.
The Columbus Ohio Police Department continued their “values neutral dress code” and did not allow variations from it, including hijabs.
On August 20, 2015, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) filed a discrimination complaint with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. CAIR wants the State of Ohio to force the Columbus Police Department to change their "values neutral dress code" to allow for hijabs. CAIR's news release is posted at end of this article.
Florida Family Association requested the status on the case from the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. However, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission declined to provide the current status of the case because of confidentiality rules even though CAIR highly publicized the discrimination complaint.
The reply from the Ohio Civil Rights Commission is provided below.
September 28, 2015
Florida Family Association
Dear Mr. Caton,
You have requested a status update on an employment discrimination complaint being investigated by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. Ohio Revised Code Section 4112.05(B)(2) requires our agency to maintain all case information as confidential until there is a determination reached. We therefore cannot provide the information you have requested.
I have no estimate of when the investigation will be done. Please note that our state law requires the investigation to be finished within one year from the date of filing.
G. Michael Payton, Director
Ohio Civil Rights Commission
30 East Broad Street, 5th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
“The Qur'an Does Not Mandate Hijab” writes Ibrahim B. Syed, Ph. D. President Islamic Research Foundation International, Inc. “… as long as the dresses are not revealing or too tight, cultural variations can add tremendous diversity in the fulfillment of this guideline. Hijab, a terminology that is NOT to be found in the Qur'an or Hadith in the context of dress code.”
Ibrahim Syed refers to Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl's studies of the Qur’an and Islamic law. Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl is an accomplished Islamic jurist and scholar, and a Professor of Law at the UCLA's School of Law. He previously taught Islamic law at the University of Texas, Yale Law School and Princeton University. A high-ranking Shaykh, Dr. Abou El Fadl also received formal training in Islamic jurisprudence in Egypt and Kuwait. Ibrahim Syed writes “Abou El Fadl argues that in contemporary Muslim societies people tend to become authoritative by imposing a single viewpoint to the total exclusion of others. Shariah (Islamic law) is then invoked to quash debate by people who are themselves not adequately qualified to do so.”
Pew Research found that only forty three percent (43%) of American Muslim women wear hijabs according a National Public Radio report. The majority of American Muslim women do NOT wear hijabs. Rasmieyh Abdelnabi, 27, grew up attending an Islamic school in Bridgeview, Ill., a tiny Arab enclave on Chicago's southwest side. It's a place where most Muslim women wear the hijab. Abdelnabi explains why she stopped wearing the hijab. She says that Islam teaches modesty — but wearing the hijab is taking it a step too far. "I've done my research, and I don't feel its foundation is from Islam," she says. "I think it comes from Arab culture." Read more at NPR.org
There is little debate online as to whether the Qu’ ran mentions hijabs because it does not. Additionally, the Qu’ ran does not provide a specific dress code except for the need to be modest. Therefore, the basis of what to wear is often decided in the manner described by Shaykh, Dr. Abou El Fadl. “Abou El Fadl argues that in contemporary Muslim societies people tend to become authoritative by imposing a single viewpoint to the total exclusion of others. Shariah (Islamic law) is then invoked to quash debate by people who are themselves not adequately qualified to do so.”
Wearing a hijab is clearly driven by culture and custom and is not a religious requirement. However, Islamists who want to Islamize America instead of assimilate into American culture are pushing these Sharia style customs.
Most important of all in this issue is the public safety of the people police officers are sworn to protect. Only a values neutral dress policy can be certain to instill the best sense of security in the greatest number of citizens the police department serves.
The badge of a law enforcement officer should be the only symbol that citizens see when an officer arrives to serve and protect. A values neutral dress policy eliminates how the average citizen may feel when they first see a police officer who is dressed in a dissimilar cultural manner.
All five commissioners who serve on the Ohio Civil Rights Commission are appointed by the Governor of Ohio.
Florida Family Association has prepared an email for you to send to encourage the Ohio Governor and Civil Rights Commissioners to uphold the Columbus Police Department's "values neutral dress code" for law enforcement officers. A copy of your email will also be sent to the Columbus Mayor, Chief of Police and Deputy Chief of Police.
The email for this article was deactivated after the commission unanimously ruled in favor of police policy.
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