Clothing options
Re “Justices again rule in favor of religious rights,” June 2
I respectfully disagree with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling stating that the choice of clothing for a woman who was denied a job at Abercrombie & Fitch was religious. It was not. Clothing is cultural, pure and simple.
The hijab is the reflection of a culture that considers modesty in women to require such clothing. Conflating freedom of religion with freedom of culture as a constitutional right is dangerous and can lead to many unintended consequences.
Frequently we see statements like “the Muslim veil” in the media. In fact, the veil predates Islam by hundreds of years, and the wearing of a veil during worship is even called out in the Bible (such as in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 11), which hardly makes it Muslim.
What people choose to wear is a personal decision that may be guided by their religious beliefs, but ultimately, these choices come down to what their culture tells them. The Supreme Court erred in misinterpreting this.
Tom Tsotsis
Santa Ana