The Guardian reports that a man who founded the International Church of Jediism has accused a store of religious discrimination.
23-year-old Daniel Jones — or his Jedi name, Morda Hehol — says he was victimized by a Tesco store in Bangor. The crux of the argument? When he entered the store to get some food during his lunch break, store employees told him to take his hood off.
“They said: ‘Take it off’, and I said: ‘No, its part of my religion. It’s part of my religious right.’ I gave them a Jedi church business card,” Jones told the Guardian. “It states in our Jedi doctrination that I can wear headwear. It just covers the back of my head.” Tesco was a little bit more cheeky with its response, saying their main defense is that Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda were all seen without their hoods.
I’ll be honest, I’m kind of torn by this. On the one hand, it’s pretty easy to dismiss the guy as a weirdo for establishing a religion around George Lucas’ film trilogies, but at the same time, if you took out the word “Jedi” there would be some major implications here. What if they told a Jew they couldn’t wear a kippah? If they told a Muslim they would have to remove their hijab? What do you think?
[via Alex Irvine]
September 21st, 2009 at 9:23 am
I’m torn about this as well. On one side, it’s silly to think at first that people actually follow something like Jedi, but the man was very sincere and I’ll give him kudos for that. I mean, people take Scientology seriously…well…SOME people anyways, and Hubbard was all about the Science Fiction.
I think the Tesco guy should have left it alone and just been cool. I mean, what was the difference if somebody was wearing a hoodie or something that just covered the back of his head? Same difference, right?
September 21st, 2009 at 9:49 am
I think tesco has a point re: yoda, luke and obi wan. case dismissed.
September 21st, 2009 at 9:52 am
Amy Alkon the Advice Goddess posted this story on her blog ( http://bit.ly/SZiKl ) over the weekend. Amy has the same opinion of religion as a whole that Bill Maher does – they are all frauds and the people who believe in them are foolish.
There’s certainly some irony with people who follow one religion full of unprovable facts pointing at another religion pointing at ANOTHER religion full of unprovable facts and say “THOSE people are craaazy”. But what really amazes me is the level of vitriol with which the radical atheists will defend that there is no deity. They are as fervently dedicated to their belief as radical fundamentalists are to theirs, and refuse to see the irony.
I spent a good amount of time and verbiage basically trying to make this point on Amy’s site. Not touting my belief system, simply suggesting that if a person believes in something and not hurting anyone, and not shouting into other people’s faces that they must believe it too, or acting violently to those who won’t, letting them have their beliefs harms no one. The responses were interesting.
Religion, even questionable ones like this story is about, will ever bring out the most venomous in people.
And plus, I’m still not sure “doctrination” is a word, or at least not as this guy used it.
September 21st, 2009 at 11:25 am
In the UK, stores and malls have been requiring that people not where hoodies and baseball caps for a while now – to the point that when were back visiting last year, my wife was asked by a security guard to take her cap off.
This is because over the past five+ years there’s been an increase in crime and intimidation from groups of youths wearing hoodies for years; the fact that the youths in question effectively become anonymous and avoid security cameras using hoods and hats is an obvious bonus.
Wearing a hoodie, culturally, in the UK is completely different than in the US thanks to this – and the store’s within their rights to eject him.
This isn’t about offending a religion that doesn’t exist, it’s about a store’s standards of crime prevention. I’m pretty sure that the Church of Jedi that he established isn’t officially recognized, so he’s got no protection under the law.
I’m assuming he knows that and is really just taking the piss.
September 21st, 2009 at 11:40 am
how does one become a practicing jedi without first training under a master? he’s not a real jedi.
September 21st, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Call me old fashioned, but as a Jedi fundamentalist, I recognize that Jedi in both trilogies remove their hoods when conducting business, whether in Jabba’s palace, in an audience with Boss Nass, or in Tesco.
I will expect my children to follow this rule, too.
September 21st, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Let him wear his hood. His well-intentioned albeit silly religious beliefs based on a story are no more or less valid than your well-intentioned albeit silly religous beliefs based on a story. Just as long as nobody hurts nobody, he should be allowed to wear a rainbow-colored clown wig if he feels like it. It shouldn’t matter whether he’s devoted himself to the works of Lucas, Hubbard, or the Gospel of John.
On the other hand, if it’s a security issue as Rich mentions, the store should be allowed to ask that he comply with their rules.
September 21st, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Sure it’s a security issue, but like David said, they’d NEVER ask a Muslim to remove their niqab.
September 21st, 2009 at 9:44 pm
First if his religion actually does dictate that he wear the hood, which I find odd as several posters have pointed out the various instances in the movies where this was not so, then he should have the same right as any other religious person regarding his garments. Of course he should also expect to be harrassed in this way if he is living in an environment that is apprehensive about those dressed in hooded garments.
As for his relgion not being real, it is just as real as any other world religion. All are based off of myths and stories created by others, it just so happens his was created more recently by a Hollywood director. Although Lucas did use previous created stories and ideas, mixed them togehter, and put his own spin on them much like every other religion in the world. Religion is based on beliefs, not facts, and if he wants to believe he is a jedi, so be it. As long as a person’s beliefs harm no one else then more power to them.
May 13th, 2010 at 5:14 am
Thank you.It is grate This is cool