Woman in hijab alleges racial profiling at Sen. Cory Booker event
Woman alleges racial profiling at Sen. Cory Booker event
A tense confrontation outside a Decatur church has led to allegations of racial profiling after a woman wearing a hijab was barred from a high-profile Democratic event Friday.
DECATUR, Ga. - Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include comment from First Baptist Church Decatur and to clarify its role in the situation.
A tense confrontation outside a Decatur church has led to allegations of racial profiling after a Stone Mountain woman wearing a hijab was barred from a high-profile event Friday.
Jawahir Sharwany, who is Muslim, says she was denied entry to the event despite having paid for a ticket.
Witnesses said Sharwany, who was wearing a hijab and a T-shirt critical of Israel, was singled out.
"I saw a woman very calmly, very peacefully standing in line, waiting to see the same thing I was seeing," Amy Paulder, a Decatur resident also in line, said. "And [then she was] stopped for no reason."
Paulder declined to go in and stood up for Sharwany.
What we know:
The event at the church on Friday was in promotion of Sen. Booker's new book.
It was hosted by Brave + Kind Bookshop. Sen. Raphael Warnock was also there.
Sharwany said security approached her after she had screened her for weapons.
"This security officer, he approached me when I was in the line, and he said, you can't go in there," Sharwany said. "I'm not doing anything. Why aren't you letting me in there?"
Sharwanty was wearing a shirt that said: "Stop Arming Israel."
While she is a familiar face at many metro Atlanta protests, she said she was there to listen.
Paulder thinks that regardless of Sharwany's beliefs, she should have been allowed in.
"No one else had a hijab on. She was stopped. The police were called. I don't know whether I agree with her," Amy Paulder, an event attendee, said. "I don't agree with her on many of her causes. I did see something that I thought was fundamentally wrong."
What they're saying:
"I paid $60 to come in here and get my book signed," Sharwany is heard on cell phone video telling the guard.
"If she can't go in, then we won't go in," bystanders said.
While Sharwany says her ticket was refunded, she felt violated and humiliated by security and hopes this moment will start a conversation.
"He has no right," Sharwany said. "And he's standing in the front of the church, in front of the House of God. What makes you do this?"
The other side:
In the video, you can hear a Decatur police officer giving her an ultimatum.
"You remaining on this property is not legal," the officer in the video said. "And if you don't leave soon, I will have to trespass you."
A lieutenant with Decatur police confirmed they responded and said since everyone complied, no one was arrested and there was no further investigation.
Meanwhile, an aide for Booker's office said "admittance and security issues" were handled by the venue. Booker's aide said the senator was unaware of the incident but supported everyone's right to free speech.
David Jordan, senior pastor for First Baptist Church Decatur, told FOX 5 on Tuesday that the security company was hired by Brave + Kind.
His statement, received after initial publication of this story, reads:
First Baptist Decatur served as the venue for this event which was sponsored and run by a local bookstore. Though we provided a small staff presence in the Sanctuary, we did not oversee ticketing or admission. Our church was not in charge of security since we were just the venue. The security detail was provided by the sponsoring bookstore that was using our sanctuary and was complemented by a presence of the Decatur Police.
Our church is committed to inclusivity, openness and respect. As soon as we heard about this unfortunate event, we were deeply concerned and are making it a priority to be sure this does not happen again on our campus.
We always try to make clear that all are welcome and that differing opinions should be appreciated and listened to.
We regret this occurred and hope to correct any hurt caused.
Our sincere desire is to "do unto others as we would have them do to us," and to make sure that the welcoming atmosphere we hope for is consistently honored to the best of our ability.
Sincerely,
David Jordan
Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Decatur
The Source: This article is based on original reporting by FOX 5's Rob DiRienzo. Additional information was provided by the Decatur Police Department, a comment from an aide with Senator Booker's office, and witness accounts. This story has been updated to include comment from First Baptist Church Decatur and to clarify its role in the situation.