OVO

Some women who protested at the Islamic Center of Washington, wanting to be able to worship in the main prayer hall with their male counterparts, were asked to leave by the police. But they say their struggle will continue. Carpets with intricate designs cover the floors of the main prayer hall and turquoise tiles line the walls. But the source of contention is a small room created with 7-foot-high wooden walls. Jannah B’int Hannah describes how she feels in there where she cannot see the imam, or leader of the mosque, speak. “Boxed in, stifling, suffocating and totally a second class citizen,” Hannah said. Over the weekend, Hannah and approximately 20 other women prayed in the main hall, but D.C. police were called. They asked them to leave or be arrested.

Article continues.  A few words for the person who made the call to the police.  When the police come next time to tell you how to conduct your religion, remember what you did.  Remember that you asked for the State to determine and enforce how you worship.  Remember that you requested armed police officers to enter your mosque and differentiate between the right and the wrong way to be a Muslim.  Remember well what you did.  Because if you complain when it happens next time, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.

Details are scant, but this appears to be a case of the establishment of religion – expressly forbidden in the United States Constitution.  The police should have taken the call and told whoever made it they could not respond without a criminal charge.  Threats of violence?  Sure.  Trespassing?  A little sticky, but maybe.  ‘Praying in the wrong room?’  Sorry, not our problem.  In this case, the State went too far in establishing how to be a Muslim.

The State doesn’t always go too far.  Sometimes it doesn’t go far enough.

Dustin Gardiner, Dad accused in ‘honor killing’ will not face death penalty:

A Glendale man accused of slaying his daughter in an “honor killing” will not face the death penalty. After sparring with the suspect’s defense attorney over its death penalty review process, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has said it will not seek death for Faleh Almaleki, 49. The Iraqi immigrant is accused of slaying his daughter, 20-year-old Noor Almaleki, for being “too Westernized.” Police say he used his Jeep Cherokee to run down his daughter and another woman in a Peoria parking lot Oct. 20. Noor Almaleki later died of her injuries. Almaleki is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault and two counts of leaving the scene of a serious accident. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The decision not to seek the death penalty comes after Almaleki’s attorney, Billy Little, a public defender, asked a judge to take special precautions to ensure the County Attorney’s Office wouldn’t wrongly seek the death penalty because Almaleki is a Muslim.  Little requested that the office make public the process it uses to determine whether to seek capital punishment.  “An open process provides some level of assurance that there is no appearance that a Christian is seeking to execute a Muslim for racial, political, religious or cultural beliefs,” Little wrote, referring to County Attorney Andrew Thomas’ Christian faith. [...] Prosecutors said Almaleki has admitted killing his daughter because she disgraced the family by not following traditional Iraqi or Muslim values.

I oppose the death penalty in all cases.  That having been said, this has the appearance that a murderer received a reduced sentence due to being a Muslim. The County Attorney’s Office issued a statement about the case: “The defendant is charged with first degree murder and, if convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison. As is in all first degree murder cases, the decision on whether to seek the death penalty is made on a case by case basis. Cultural considerations played no part in the decision not to seek the death penalty.” I certainly hope so.