Thursday, September 1, 2011
Amusement Park or Abusement Park?
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A day at an Amusement Park usually brings fun and joy to people of almost any age, but when a group of Muslim women were asked to remove their hijabs, the situation took an ugly turn. What was originally intended as a friendly reminder of park policy, led to an all out brawl, ending with fifteen arrests and the injury of two park rangers.
On August 31, 2011, Rye Amusement Park was hosting an outing of guests celebrating Eid al-Fitr. The situation turned sour however, when three women were prohibited from entering a ride due to their headscarves. Feeling discriminated against because of their religion a group of on looking Muslims called Zead Ramadan, a spokesman for the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), to mediate the situation. "They're the most obvious Muslims around because they have hijabs on. They felt they were discriminated against," Ramadan stated. Upon the arrival of the police, County Police Captain Gleason was told that the park officials had forewarned the event organizers of the rules against headgear on rides, and stated that those responsible for the event failed to relay the information to the group. Park officials defended themselves stating that before each ride, riders are presented with height requirements as well as a sign reading, "Some rides do not allow backpacks, purses or head gear of any kind".
In my opinion, the park officials did not violate any rights of the Muslims. Furthermore, prohibiting the Muslim women from wearing their religious garments on the ride was certainly not an attack of any nature against their religion. These ride attendants were simply doing their jobs. I believe a physical altercation ensued because the Muslims felt as though they were being discriminated against. The fault in this situation rests in the hands of the Muslim women. The park attendants asked the women to remove their headscarves for safety reasons just as a precaution. When I am asked to remove my sandals on a ride I do not take offense to such requests. Granted, my sandals hold no religious significance to me as I do not believe removing my sandals will sentence me to a life of eternal damnation. However, if they had I would understand as it would pose a potential safety risk to other passengers on the ride or guests in the immediate area. God forbid the passengers were allowed on with their head garments and something had gone wrong, the company, not the individuals, would have been held fully responsible.
I am sure the ride attendants had nothing against the Muslim guests, they were merely following the safety standards of the park. If the Muslim women had taken the time to stop and read the signs posted before each ride, they would have realized that they were not being discriminated against or treated unfairly, but that rather, the rule is a general park policy that applies to everyone. The sign did not read, “No Muslims!”, it very clearly stated “no headgear of any kind”. In this situation, religion is not a valid excuse to jeopardize the safety of ones self or others on the ride. The company is legally bound to follow certain precautions and the Muslim guests should have been more tolerant of such a policy. According to the article, the Muslim guests were also offered a full refund for their inconvenience. I cannot support or even sympathize for the other side under these circumstances, although I understand their frustration. As for the physical violence that pursued, I am unable to take a side pending further evidence.
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