An Air Force contractor who had been working at a Maryland dental clinic was accused of being a witch and subsequently fired. Deborah Schoenfeld, a Hindu, had complained of being harassed for not sharing the same religious beliefs as her Christian co-workers. She was told that practicing yoga was “satanic” and would “cost her her soul.” Yes, this happened in 2015, when it seems like practically everyone owns a pair of yoga pants and has at least attempted one downward dog in their life. Even science says yoga is beneficial to health, though these people don’t seem the type to listen to facts, anyway.
After Schoenfeld filed a formal complaint on September 2, she was terminated from her position as a dental technician for allegedly using profanity against a co-worker, reports Air Force Times. They would not reveal the identity of the accuser.
Schoenfeld then reached out to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation for support with her case. Mikey Weinstein, the group’s founder and president, wrote a letter to officials detailing the harassment done to Schoenfeld by her former co-workers. Schoenfeld claimed she was advised to pray against the recent Supreme Court ruling against same sex marriage, was told that meditation summons demons and was chastised for playing Indian music in the dental clinic since it wasn’t Christian.
Two former co-workers spoke to the publication anonymously and confirmed Schoenfeld’s account. One witness said Schoenfeld was referred to by others as a “Hindu witch.” The Air Force District of Washington has received Weinstein’s letter and is investigating the allegations.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation is representing her. The Group founder and president Mikey Weinstein wrote in a letter to officials : “We have spoken with witnesses at the clinic under your command who have universally confirmed that, not only did this horrid harassment take place, but ever since the execution of her punishment for failing the religious test imposed by the leadership of Epes Dental Clinic, a particular offending party has effusively celebrated her replacement by a Catholic woman by saying publicly that, ‘It’s good to see we got an angel, since last time we had the devil’s complaints.’ (Source: Airforce Times) She was even forbidden from listening to Indian music in the workplace because it was “not Christian,” though her co-workers “commonly played” Christian music.
“This is by far the most ludicrous, scandalous and outrageous treatment of a valued member of our military team that I have come across in my decade-plus of fighting these religious intolerance issues,” Weinstein wrote.
According to me incidents, like this are the consequences of superiority complex of Americans which make them think everything that is not theirs is inferior or wrong. It has just been a month when they got a 14 year student arrested because they thought the digital clock he was carrying to school was a bomb and the teenager a terrorist. Then they attributed it to islamophobia, but what now? They consider yoga as satanic practices since a hindu is performing them? We are called developing countries, yet we never relate health practices to religion. What is the use of being developed if they keep doing such absurd things which only an illiterate will do?
They want to get patent of things India invented, but when someone practices the same thing in their country they consider it as witchcraft? What sense does it make? Hope they start behaving sensibly with people of other religious faith in their country.
