Op-Ed: A Forced Prison Haircut Brings Up Questions About Freedom of Religion

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By James Warren

Bob Marley

Since members of the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem venerate the Old Testament, they probably know that the Book of Judges includes a reckless Samson telling Delilah that if his hair were cut, his strength would disappear. Bad move. It was probably stupid, too, for a prison guard to order the forcible shearing of the dreadlocks of an inmate, Omar Grayson, a member of the African Hebrew group. A federal appeals court has just ruled in favor of Mr. Grayson in a decision that includes an improbable visual reference to Bob Marley. To be protected by the First Amendment, religious belief must be sincere but not necessarily orthodox. “If freedom of religion means anything, it means you can’t discriminate among religions, and you can’t tell a religious believer that he’s wrong about what his religion requires.”