In a story the complete opposite of Weird Al Yankovic's hit "Amish Paradise" (a parody of Coolio's "Gangster's Paradise"), an Amish community leader in Ohio was sentenced to 15 years in prison for forcefully cutting the beards and hair of other Amish who left his community for various religious reasons, according to CNN.
Samuel Mullet Sr., 67, and 15 followers were found guilty last year in connection with what authorities said were the religiously motivated attacks on several fellow Amish people. Mullet and others were convicted of conspiracy to violate a federal hate-crime law, according to CNN.
This is considered a hate crime due to the significance of the beard to the Amish community. The beard is a symbol of faith and manhood.
Amish men are instructed not to cut their beards after marriage and women are instructed not to cut their hair, reported the Associated Press.
Our nation was founded on the bedrock principle that everyone is free to worship how they see fit. Violent attempts to attack this most basic freedom have no place in our country," said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, reported CNN.
Mullet, bishop of a group living on a compound outside Bergholz, wanted to "seek revenge and punish the departing families," according to an FBI affidavit filed before the trial. The attackers, using scissors and battery-powered clippers, injured others who tried to stop the attacks, according to CNN.
Fifteen others implicated in the crimes were sentenced to between one and seven years in prison, reported the New York Times.
Guessing Weird Al Yankovic was wrong when saying "we don't fight and we all play nice."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
