Sikhs Fight to Teach in Oregon
Sikhs protest school exemption in Oregon religious freedom bill
by Harry Esteve, The Oregonian
Wednesday July 15, 2009, 8:41 PM
A bill passed by the Oregon Legislature that broadens religious freedom in the workplace has prompted protests by some faith leaders because it exempts schools.
The bill requires employers to allow workers to wear certain clothing, grow beards and take certain days off to observe their religious practices. But it specifically carves out school districts in Oregon, one of two states that expressly forbid teachers from wearing religious clothing.
The exemption drew the ire of some groups, especially Sikhs, whose members wear turbans and other distinctive clothes -- and have been barred from teaching in Oregon as a result.
The new law "fails in its essence if it doesn't honestly and comprehensively provide religious freedom for all Oregonians," said Rajdeep Singh Jolly, law director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund in Washington, D.C.
Oregon law is too strict on teachers' religious garb
by The Oregonian Editorial Board
Thursday July 16, 2009, 5:25 PM
In nearly every state in the union, local school districts have the discretion to say whether teachers can wear religious garb such as yarmulkes, turbans and head scarves while on the job. Not around these parts. Oregon is one of only two states with laws that expressly forbid public school teachers from wearing religious clothing.
For that reason, Sikh and Muslim groups are calling on Gov. Ted Kulongoski to veto a bill that broadens religious freedom in the workplace but keeps in place Oregon's ban on religious garb for teachers.
Critics of the bill have a strong argument, but Kulongoski should sign the bill. Even if he vetoes it, Oregon's ban--upheld by the state supreme court in the 1980s--would remain in place. The critics should instead be pushing for new legislation next year to eliminate that archaic prohibition, which passed nearly a century ago at the height of Oregon's dark era of anti-Catholic fervor.