Saturday, October 18, 2008

Religious beliefs

Being a member of the ACLU, I get informed about their activities and once again, I am deeply convinced about the importance of their work. In order to protect A.A. a five year old American Indian. The Needville Independent School Districtin Texas punished him for practicing and expressing his families religious beliefs and heritage by wearing his hair in two long breads. The school rules prescribe short hair. A.A. Is suspended in isolation in school because his family refused that he stuff his long hair in the back of his shirt at school. This would cause the child discomfort and shame about his culture and heritage. Courts have held that the First and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution protect students' rights to dress in conformation with their religious beliefs. Texas' Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) provides additional protections. After so many centuries, we still haven'tt got it right. The child has been subjected to this treatment since September 3. Parents should not have to choose between public education and their heritage as American Indians. Remember: They were here first!

8 comments:

  1. Mushrooms and the Tomahawk are deeply ingrained in Native American religious practices. If little A.A. were to gnaw a 'shroom, and pack his Tomahawk to school, by the time he collected two or three 'white eye' teacher scalps, his persecution might cease. After all, a 'god' who approves 'an eye for an eye', would certainly approve 'a scalp for a slight'.

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  2. Barbecues and guns are deeply ingrained in the North American Society. If little Joe or Bob or....

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  3. I think he should be able to wear a loincloth in summer, and war paint, too. j

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  4. Or a cowboyhat and -boots and later a big moustache. Wooden shoes for the Dutchman, sauerkraut in Germany....Jiha: back to the 'good old' days!I like that!

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  6. Indians don't grow facial hair, but we can buy him a press on, or a moustache tattoo. I wonder why they don't grow facial hair. Neither do the Japanese, but the Chinese grow those long ones. Don't they ? j

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  7. Some women don't grow facial hair, either,and those that do seem to favor depilatory tactics as opposed to daily shaving. I wonder if this is because women, in general, are just dissatisfied with the way 'god' made them. So they 'correct' 'his' work with a multitude of cosmetic artifices, creating something more in keeping with transitory trends, usually foisted upon them by those whose sexual persuasion excludes women. Does anyone else consider this anti-feminist, if not blasphemous?

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  8. This is a nice post.Actually culture and heritages are different from nation to nation , cast to cast.Religious views are also different.Thank you for your nice sharing from where a reader can know about a different culture. Redneck Beer Hat

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