Muslim headscarves to be allowed in Georgia courtrooms

http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2009/07/24/muslim-head-scarfs-to-be-allowed-in-georgia-courtrooms/

This is a copy of the report by AJC political-insider-Jim-Galloway

Those who walk into any Georgia courtroom will be allowed to wear head coverings, such as scarfs worn by Muslim women.

The new policy was adopted Wednesday at a meeting of the Judicial Council of Georgia, the policy-making body for Georgia courts.

This from a press release issued this afternoon:

The policy is designed to balance a court’s legitimate security concerns with a person’s right to practice his or her faith in a public place. Under the new policy, if a security officer wanted to conduct a search, the person would have the option of having the inspection performed in a private area by an officer of the same gender.

The measure stems from the December 2008 arrest of Lisa Valentine after she refused to remove her hijab, the head scarf worn by Muslim women. She said to do so would violate her faith. But Judge Keith Rollins of the Douglasville Municipal Court found her in contempt of court and ordered her to serve 10 days in jail.

The incident prompted a formal complaint from the U.S. Department of Justice. The Anti-Defamation League, Council on American-Islamic Relations and American Civil Liberties Union also lodged complaints.

On June 12th, Ms. Valentine testified before the Supreme Court of Georgia Committee on Access and Fairness in the Courts.

“If this had been a nun, no one would have required her to remove her habit,” said Chief Justice Carol Hunstein, who chairs the Judicial Council. “I think this is a good rule, and I think it’s clear.”

Specifically, the adopted policy states:

“Head coverings are prohibited from the courtroom except in cases where the covering is worn for medical or religious reasons. To the extent security requires a search of a person wearing a head covering for medical or religious reasons, the individual has the option of having the inspection performed by a same-sex officer in a private area. The individual is allowed to put his or her own head covering back on after the inspection is complete.”

Underscarves: The New Fashion Accessory

Underscarves can change the look of a scarf or dress up an ordinary scarf for a special occasion. And of course they are good for keeping your hair in place and properly covered.

Underscarves have recently become in demand not only for those wishing to cover their hair but as a means of giving scarves a whole new look. They have become the new fashion accessory. It used to be that often ladies would cover up their underscarf entirely so it would not show.

This is not the case anymore. It is quickly becoming very popular to let your underscarf show. In fact often you will find lovely beaded underscarves that dress up any scarf you many have in your collection at home. These beaded ones are perfect to wear for Ramadan, a Wedding, a party or for anytime you just want to look more dressy.

There is no excuse to hide plain ones under your scarf anymore. Some people like to exactly match their scarf, if they are wearing a solid scarf they will get the exact color in an underscarf. Now however women are changing the look by choosing another color adding a layered effect.

A printed scarf can look new if you pick out a different color in the print to wear as an underscarf. This can really change the look of your scarf. If your scarf has several colors you may pick out several matching underscarves to bring out the different colors of the scarf and to match what you are wearing. This can give both your scarf and your outfit a whole new look.

The underscarf is fast becoming the accessory not to be without. At One Islamic Store we carry a nice variety of underscarves, everything from beaded to laced to a look of denim, or even plain colored ones giving you a wide choice to choose from. The new uses and huge variety that is now readily available gives the once purely practical underscarf a whole new use as a valued fashion accessory. The once hidden underscarf has come out into full view.