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February 10, 2012
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David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
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Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
August 10, 2004
/ 23 Menachem-Av, 5764
Public interest vs. minority rights
By
Peter A. Brown
The outcome of a case, believe it or not on appeal, involving a Muslim woman could tell us much about the relative importance of rights vs. responsibilities and society's overall well-being in post-9-11 America — and whether the common-sense standard still rules
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When Utah joined the union, its heavily Mormon population agreed to forsake a religious doctrine — polygamy — to join the United States.
In the 1890s, there were no major concerns that enforcing that requirement might somehow violate constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.
Common sense said that the views and values of most Americans took precedence in the cultural clash. The perceived well-being of the many took precedence over the customs of the few.
However, now that diversity and minority rights have come to rival godliness as a universal virtue, it's not certain whether such a deal would even be possible.
Would some civil libertarian with deep pockets and an eye for playing to the news media's penchant for celebrating victimization try to tie the whole thing up in the courts?
The Utah issue comes to mind because of the case of the Muslim woman who is arguing on appeal that religious freedom entitles her to drive without an identifiable picture on her license.
The disposition of the case could tell us much about the relative importance of rights vs. responsibilities to society's overall well-being in post-9-11 America, and whether the common-sense standard still rules.
It goes to the heart of the question about what kind of society we have become. Especially in an age of terrorism, only a fool would deny the possibility that those who want to kill us because we are Americans happily take advantage of our society's basic freedoms to plot their crimes.
Let's be clear: Not all, or even most, followers of Islam are terrorists, but it is clearly true that the majority of terrorists who want to harm the United States are Muslim.
This creates an uncomfortable climate for Muslims who are American citizens, and we must be sensitive to their concerns. Obviously, restricting the rights of Muslim U.S. citizens because of their religion would be wrong.
Sensitivity is one thing; compromising the public safety to be politically correct is another.
The question is: Should society make an exception to a rule that applies to everyone, and is manifestly in the public interest, because of an individual's (in this case, a Muslim woman from Winter Park, Fla.,) religious customs?
If so, the best interests of the United States become hostage to an inflexible standard of individual rights, and we take another step toward embracing the notion that, in a secular society, we can afford to make exceptions to policies that promote the general welfare.
Don't get me wrong. The fundamental basis of our society must be protection of the individual. But we have seen an uncomfortable drift to making exceptions from equally applicable standards in the name of protecting the rights or aspirations of those with special pleadings.
Unfortunately, because this issue often gets tangled into issues of race, we really don't talk about such things in polite company.
This case involves a woman who claims that Islam's prohibition against having her picture taken without a veil covering everything but her eyes should trump the legal requirement that she have an identifiable picture on her license.
It would be a sorry turn of events if the admirable effort to offer the rights and privileges of American life to all is used to undermine national security and further erode a national sense of shared values.
The full-face-picture requirement is based on the need for authorities to know someone is who he or she purports to be.
It is only common sense.
A lower court upheld the state's position, but the case is on appeal, with the woman's lawyers arguing that there are alternative ways to establish her identity that government should offer.
They argue that even though such means would be less effective and much more cumbersome for police, government should go the extra mile to protect the woman's rights.
The principle that deserves to be upheld is that the law may infringe on an individual's religious freedom if doing so fulfills a compelling public interest and does not apply just to members of a particular religion.
The legal requirement is not that only Muslims be photographed. That would be wrong.
But so would be allowing special exceptions to a necessary policy because of a specific religious belief.
Responding to an even more ludicrous effort to circumvent the public welfare, the U.S. Supreme Court properly ruled that the law prohibiting use of certain drugs, in this case the hallucinogen peyote, took precedence over those who claim it is needed for their religion's rituals.
Allowing someone to drive without a simple way to check his or her identity would be just as unacceptable, setting a bad precedent for 21st-century America.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington
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JWR contributor Peter A. Brown is an editorial page columnist for the Orlando Sentinel. Comment by clicking here.
© 2004, The Orlando Sentinel Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services
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