On Tuesday (ironically, the same day a Pew Research Center poll reported an increasingly satisfied Muslim American public), the Rye Playland amusement park in New York was shut down and 15 people were arrested for disorderly conduct after a fight broke out between police and park patrons who were upset that a group of Muslim women were barred from certain rides because of their headscarves.
"They said no because of my 'headgear'," Ola Salem told the New York Times. "I said, 'It's not my headgear, it's my religion.' " Another woman, Haifa Ali, told Patch that she tried to explain the importance of the scarf, particularly on a high holiday, to the rides operator. Unsuccessful in their avails, and with more than a dozen of the park's rides on the "no headgear" list, a handful of woman asked for refunds, saying that they felt they had been banned from the ride because of religious regions, not safety.
This is where things become less clear. According to the Parks Department, after receiving their refunds and exiting the park, several members of the Muslim American group began fighting amongst themselves. According to members of the Muslim American group and other witnesses, the fight began when either a park employee or a police officer grabbed [a] woman's hijab and pulled her to the ground.
Source: Mediaite.
Read more at Mediaite.
In other news: Calling the Cops on Bullies in New Jersey Schools.