Empathy, caution on Rastafari profiling
READERS OF THE NATION’S online edition have mostly empathised with the call by Ras KudosSage-I to stop the profiling of members of the Rastafarian religion.
Speaking at the African Liberation Day celebrations, KudosSage-I, a representative of the Ichirouganaim Council For The Advancement Of Rastafari (ICAR), spoke of the “scourge called religious intolerance, which the Rastafari community finds itself head to head with”.
He called “on our brothers and sisters in faith to help us to combat this scourge and this offspring called Rastafari profiling”.
On NATIONnews.com, some readers shared their own experiences of profiling.
“It’s a shame that we Bajans are so judgemental. If it doesn’t fit their profile it is frowned upon. I am not a Rasta but I wear my hair in locks and was told by a Bajan while on vacation, and I quote: ‘We don’t look too favourably on people who wear their like that’. Bajans need to look at people as people no matter what religion or race their are,” said Noted Dreadlock Bajan In USA.
Easy B, a Barbadian reggae artist based in Canada, commented: “It is true that we suffer at the hands of one who prejudges us without even giving us a chance. We are taunted constantly with ‘Rasta jokes] about what we eat, our hairstyle, outlook on religion, spirituality and just about anything that seems different to the ‘norm’ of the traditional Barbadian society’s philosophies.
“One would think in a country that is so advanced in education, industry and technology that [you would not find that] people can still find the time to judge a person by their hairstyle, eating habits, etcetera.”
However, some readers sounded a note of caution, noting the religion’s promotion of the use of marijuana as a sacrament often put their devotees in the crosshairs of the law.
“For years Rastas have pushed the image of resistance. Resistance against the rule of law, resistance against their ‘right’ to smoke ‘it’, stated their right to do as they pleased, etcetera. So now it is ingrained into the mindset of people across the world that you have to watch and be [wary] of Rastas.
“If you are walking down the street and you see a Rasta smoking, what is the first thing that crosses your mind about what that smoke is? The fact of the matter remains, that substance is against the law,” said one reader, using the handle Can’t Fool Dis Here Bajan.
Tags: African Liberation Day, Easy B, ICAR, Ras KudosSage I, Rastafari community, Rastafari profiling, religion, religious intolerance