Oh, please!

This is what's going on in my city right now:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27056471/

A Sikh man originally from Afghanistan beat his wife, saying, "I am from Afghanistan and in my country it is perfectly acceptable to beat your wife." So, he was arrested, convicted, and is now serving a 3-year sentence. As per procedure, he was given a shave and haircut (Sikhs don't cut their hair, at least the men don't, not sure about women) for safety reasons. Now a Sikh organization and the ACLU are protesting and may file a lawsuit for violation of his religious rights.

Puh-lease.

I am all for religious tolerance. I am for respecting religious customs. But if you beat your wife and go to jail, you're going to have your hair cut off for safety reasons. You can hide all sorts of contraband in there! If it's an issue, MAYBE you shouldn't violate the laws of your new country. If you were so worried about it, maybe you should have stayed in Afghanistan.

Thankfully, the city attorney released a statement, saying, "The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is committed to respecting and accommodating the religious beliefs of all our inmates population. However, when an inmate's religious practices compromise the safety and security of our corrections facilities, safety and security must take precedence."

Ugh. Like we don't have better things to worry about?