To add to the recent epidemic of racism against Muslims, a North Carolina man has plead guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge after he grabbed a Muslim woman’s hijab and pulled it off on a Southwest Airlines flight in December of 2015. Thirty-seven year-old Gill Parker Payne, of Gastonia, North Carolina entered his guilty plea on Friday after having been charged with using force or the threat thereof to obstruct a Muslim woman in the free exercise of her religious beliefs.
Payne was apparently on the same flight as the victim on December 11th traveling from Chicago to Albuquerque when the incident took place. Payne approached the woman who was sitting several rows away from him and ordered her to take off her hijab, the Islamic headscarf sometimes worn by Muslim women. “Take it off. This is America!” Payne angrily proclaimed as he proceeded to remove the hijab himself.
Payne admitted, in court, that he knew it was a religious practice of Muslim women to wear a hijab. He also admitted that he trolled up and down the aisle of the Southwest airlines flight knowing that the victim was sitting a few aisles ahead of him. He also stated that he did not know her. The woman, who has only been identified as K.A., reported feeling violated and pulling the scarf back over her head as Payne had managed to pull it all the way off. A sentencing hearing has not yet taken place.
In response to the incident, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, issued a statement saying:
No matter one’s faith, all Americans are entitled to peacefully exercise their religious beliefs free from discrimination and violence. Using or threatening force against individuals because of their religion is an affront to the fundamental values of this nation, and the Civil Rights Division will continue to be vigilant in protecting the religious liberties guaranteed to all Americans.”
The list of attacks against Muslims in America is seemingly endless and expanding by the day. Recently, a Muslim woman was kicked off of Southwest Airlines for changing seats. The news report can be seen here. In April of this year, Hakima Abdullah reported asking another passenger to switch seats with her. The passenger didn’t have an issue with the request but apparently, a Southwest flight attendant did. She told Abdullah that her request could not be accommodated and removed her from the plane.
In another recent incident also involving Southwest Airlines, a young Iraqi college student was removed from his flight and humiliated because he used the Arabic word “inshallah” which simply means God willing. He was cleared of any wrong doing but Southwest Airlines has yet to apologize. Another student, this time a twelve-year-old at the First Colony Middle School in Fort Bend County, Texas, was told by his teacher “we all think you’re a terrorist.” Another Muslim family was removed from a United Airlines flight due to a “safety of flight issue.”
In an even more absurd example showing the juvenile nature of America’s right wing, some ultra conservatives rejoiced upon hearing reports that a swarm of bees had stung 20 Muslims at a Mosque. Some declared the bees’ swarming as “God’s judgment on the followers of Allah.” Unsurprisingly, those reveling in the incident, were completely ignorant that Allah is simply the Arabic word for God regardless of religion.
Many blame the recent surge in bigotry against Muslims on Donald Trump. It appears, however, that GOP dropout Ted Cruz, was no better. After the Brussels attacks, Cruz was quoted as saying “We need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized.” Cruz’s comment comes as no surprise as his policies and rhetoric, though not as loud, were actually more right wing than Trump’s but typical of the GOP.
The list of recent Islamophobic incidents in America goes on. It is ironic that the very same Americans encouraging attacks against Muslims are the ones who support a policy wherein America is allowed to invade and plunder Muslim countries without consequence. Perhaps even more ironic is that based on our own preemptive strike logic, a la George “Dubya” Bush’s 2003 invasion of Iraq, it is actually Muslims who should fear and profile us. But that would be racist.
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