Muslims, police scuffle at Rye Playland over amusement park's head scarf ban; 15 arre

Aroosak

Junior Member
:salam2:

Sadly here we go again, is Eid but it was not so happy for some brothers and sisters. Projectile hijabs? like seriously most sisters I know can make a million cartwheels without their hijabs even moving! subhanAllah this is sad. There is a poll at the end that asks if the hijab ban is inflexible:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_...land_over_amusement_parks_head_scarf_ban.html

Muslims, police scuffle at Rye Playland over amusement park's head scarf ban; 15 arrests made
BY Corinne Lestch and Bill Hutchinson
DAILY NEWS WRITERS

Rye Playland was shut down Tuesday after cops scuffled with Muslims upset that women wearing head scarves were barred from the rides, witnesses said.

Fifteen people, including three women, were charged with disorderly conduct and assault in the chaos, authorities said.

The Westchester County park was packed with Muslims celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr - the holiday marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

One woman, Entisai Ali, began arguing with cops over the amusement park's head scarf, or hijab, rule, said Dena Meawad, 18, of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

The ban, which is not Muslim specific, was imposed about 3 years ago mostly to prevent hats from falling onto the tracks of roller coasters and other rides, park officials said.

"The cops started getting loud with her and she started getting loud, too. They pushed her on the ground and arrested her," Meawad said.

Her cousin, Kareem Meawad, 17, went to try to protect the woman and was beaten by cops and also arrested, she added. Her brother, Issam Meawad, 20, was pushed to the ground and taken into custody when he tried to help his cousin, she said.

"She just wanted to get on a ride. That was it," Dena Meawad said of the initial confrontation. "It's clear, this all happened because we're Muslim."

John Hodges, chief inspector of Westchester County Public Safety, insisted that police did not use excessive force.

He said up to 100 cops from surrounding departments converged on the park.

Two park rangers were injured in the melee, prompting felony assault charges against two people arrested, officials said.

'It's clear, this all happened because we're Muslim,' says Dena Meawad. (Norman Y. Lono for News).

The ugly incident happened just after 1 p.m. The event was organized by the Muslim American Society of New York, and attracted 3,000 Muslims from Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Westchester County.

Ali's sister, Ayman Alrabah, 24, of Brooklyn said her husband, brother and father were all tackled by cops and put into handcuffs when they tried to help her sister.

Alrabah said she was unaware of the head-scarf rule until she and her sister tried to get on the park's Dragon Coasters.

"We requested a refund and all of a sudden an argument became a riot," Alrabah said. "Cops came. They were hitting my brother, my dad. My husband was on the floor and they were handcuffing him.

She said her 4-year-old son was "traumatized" by seeing his father arrested.

"They treated us like animals, like we were nothing," Alrabah said. "They came with their dogs and sticks. We came to have fun."

The park was closed for about two hours because of the fracas. It reopened at about 6 p.m.

Peter Tartaglia, deputy commissioner of Westchester County Parks, said the Muslim American Society of New York was warned in advance of the rule barring head scarves on rides for safety reasons.

"Part of our rules and regulations, which we painstakingly told them over and over again, is that certain rides you cannot wear any sort of headgear," Tartaglia said. "It's a safety issue for us on rides, it could become a projectile."

Many Muslims were given refunds as they left the park disappointed.

"In this heightened state of Islamaphobia, a woman wearing a hajib is an easy target these days," said Zead Ramadan, president of the Council on American-Islamic Relations - New York. "Unfortunately, this turned ugly due to a lot of miscommunication."
 

Aapa

Mirajmom
Assalaam walaikum,

This is a case for CAIR.

I have learned not to argue with the workers. They just follow the stated policy to protect their menial jobs.

A legal course of action needs to be taken. The park needs to be sued. The policies at the park needed to be rewritten. In essence they placed hijabis on the same level as urban youth. Funny thing is the management will take money from both groups but will still impose "rules".

As for the police. We know what they represent. An organization such as CAIR needs to address the poor handling of the case and over-reaction by the police.

This is simply a case of poor judgment by the workers in the park. Hijabs do not fall off rides. They are tied down.
 

Aroosak

Junior Member
Assalaam walaikum,

This is a case for CAIR.

I have learned not to argue with the workers. They just follow the stated policy to protect their menial jobs.

A legal course of action needs to be taken. The park needs to be sued. The policies at the park needed to be rewritten. In essence they placed hijabis on the same level as urban youth. Funny thing is the management will take money from both groups but will still impose "rules".

As for the police. We know what they represent. An organization such as CAIR needs to address the poor handling of the case and over-reaction by the police.

This is simply a case of poor judgment by the workers in the park. Hijabs do not fall off rides. They are tied down.


Yeah CAIR is already taking care of this. What might work against them is the way some brothers and sisters reacted. This is exactly why people should know their rights and how to react in such situations. The use of violence and foul language it is not something we can afford ourselves to attack with. In such cases a person should get the information of the person not letting them access the ride and follow a complaint. This event just helped the media create a hype on how violent and a "threat" muslims really are.
 

Precious Star

Junior Member
Assalaam walaikum,

This is a case for CAIR.

I have learned not to argue with the workers. They just follow the stated policy to protect their menial jobs.

A legal course of action needs to be taken. The park needs to be sued. The policies at the park needed to be rewritten. In essence they placed hijabis on the same level as urban youth. Funny thing is the management will take money from both groups but will still impose "rules".

As for the police. We know what they represent. An organization such as CAIR needs to address the poor handling of the case and over-reaction by the police.

This is simply a case of poor judgment by the workers in the park. Hijabs do not fall off rides. They are tied down.

I agree.

There should be a dignity in our behaviour. Unfortunately, what is going to be remembered about this incident is the scuffle, not the principle.

I think when the women were asked not to go on the ride because of the headscarf, they should have asked why, then walked away. If it appeared that an argument was about to ensue, then the family should have walked away. The police are just looking for an excuse.

After they walk away, they should then hire lawyers and/or make a complaint about the prohibition. You see, the attention is drawn to the issue of the headscarf, rather than the arguement and the police altercation etc. In this way, the fight is dignified and within legal and dignified boundaries.
 

Aapa

Mirajmom
Assalaam walaikum,

Yes, I could not have used a better expression. We are the ones who need to be dignified in our behaviors.

( and you know me..all that money wasted on an amusement park..why not donate half that money to Somalia? Gaza?..why not organize a day at the amusement park with half the proceeds going to a social agency if you do not want to send the money overseas).

Think Muslim think!
 
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