Why do we (UNFORTUNATELY) need the ACLU? THIS IS WHY

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When you read this remember, this could be a vegetarian, an orthodox Jew, or devout Buddhist or any other dietary restricted belief set, in this case, the woman is an EXEMPLAR of what we hope the future relations among religions should be.

If the ACLU stuck to this kind of stuff instead of suing the US govt over the use of drones 12,000 miles outside of the USA, they would be heroes

For those who despise the ACLU as a whole (I am nearly in that category) I will remind you of what they told me when the they defended the Nazis right to march in Skokie ..only by defending the rights of the most obnoxious are our own GUARANTEED. That is a hard mission statement to argue against.

In this case though, the only obnoxious people are those in the foster child placement agency.

Conservative and libertarians should be out in force over this one but it has been ceded to KOS, Thinkprogress, and the like.

ACLU: Foster mother rejected for not serving pork

Complaint filed with city agency over incident, officials say

April 14, 2010|By Brent Jones, The Baltimore Sun

Almost two decades ago, Tashima Crudup left her grandmother's home and entered the city's foster care system, where she learned firsthand what makes a good mother.

As she shuffled from family to family beginning at age 8, Crudup encountered some attentive and loving foster parents, while others were unsupportive and constraining.

"I always wanted to be a foster parent," said the 26-year-old mother of five

In July, Crudup -- a practicing Muslim -- contacted Contemporary Family Services, a private company authorized by the state to place foster children with families. She cleared an initial screening process and completed 50 hours of training classes for prospective parents. But after a home visit, her application was denied.

The main reason: She doesn't allow pork in her house.

Shocked, Crudup contacted the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, which filed a complaint Wednesday with the Baltimore City Community Relations Commission, claiming religious discrimination.

"I have a hard time believing [the company] denies every vegetarian or Orthodox Jewish person a foster care license," said Ajmel Quereshi, an attorney with the ACLU. "But I do believe Mrs. Crudup was picked out here ... and it has led us to believe an anti-Muslim bias is playing a role in the decision."

Crudup said she didn't realize her dietary habits were a concern for the placement company. The food she serves her children was among dozens of topics that came up during a daylong interview in August 2009.

Even though she doesn't allow pork in her house, Crudup said she told the caseworker she would have no problem with children in her care eating the meat at school outings or restaurants.

"Before I was Muslim, I was studying [to be] a Jehovah's Witness," Crudup said she told the company. "I would make a provision for the child to attend whatever services."

The CEO of Hyattsville-based Contemporary Family Services and other officials did not return repeated phone calls.

Officials from the state Department of Human Resources, which oversees Maryland's foster care system and hired the private company to manage the licensing process, notified Contemporary Family Services on Wednesday that it appeared to have violated several state laws.

"The law does not permit the agency to make a determination solely on the type of food served in a home," said Nancy Lineman, a spokeswoman for DHR. "If this was us, we would not disqualify someone from being a foster parent based on these circumstances."