"Take it off. This is America!"
That is what Gill Parker Payne told a Muslim lady after he forcibly ripped off her hijab on a Southwest airlines flight.
On December 11, 2015, Payne, 37, sat several seats behind a Muslim lady. The woman, only known to the public lady as K.A., was with Payne on a flight from Chicago to Albuquerque.
Payne pleaded guilty in a New Mexico federal court, where he will be trialed for using threat or force to directly obstruct a Muslim lady's right to exercise her religious beliefs.
This is a part of Payne's written statement that he submitted in court:
"I stopped next to her seat, looked down at K.A., and told her to take off her hijab, stating something to the effect of, 'Take it off! This is America! ... I then grabbed the back of the hijab and pulled it all the way off, leaving K.A.'s entire head exposed. As a result, K.A. felt violated and quickly pulled the hijab back up and covered her head again... Because I forcibly removed K.A.'s hijab, I admit that the United States can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that I intentionally obstructed K.A.'s free exercise of her religious beliefs."
If proven guilty, Payne can receive up to a year of imprisonment with possible fine of maximum USD$100,000.
Payne and his legal group are working on a plea agreement. He wants 2 months of home confinement and a probation period.
American Attorney Damon P. Martinez, from the District of New Mexico, reminds the public that everyone should respect other people's beliefs. They should not resort to "threats or intimidation" to obstruct other people right to practice what they believe should be done to express their faith. He says this includes the people from the Muslim community.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
