Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Let Them Eat Pork

I remember seeing this story when it first came out, but it fell off my radar too quickly to blog about it. I was reminded of the incident when the Daily Show did a send-up of it last night.  Here's the real news story in the Baltimore Sun (not to be confused with the Daily Show story, which was pretty accurate in any event) about the Muslim mother of 5, formerly a foster child herself, who says she's always wanted to be a foster parent:

Tashima Crudup, 26, said she contacted Contemporary Family Services in July and went through 50 hours worth of training classes to become a foster parent. The organization is a private company authorized by the state to place foster children with families.

The complaint alleges that Crudup's application was denied after it was discovered during the interview process that she prohibits pork products in her Middle River home. In a letter dated Oct. 12 from Contemporary Family Services, the company tells Crudup that the application is being denied out of "concerns raised by statements made during the home study interview, specifically your explicit request to prohibit pork products within your home environment. Although we respect your personal/religious views and practices, this agency must above all ensure that the religious, cultural and personal rights of each foster child placed in our care are upheld."
Yes, the letter the agency sent rejecting her application listed one reason, and one reason only, for rejecting her -- the fact that she would not have pork products in her home.

I wonder, is the agency also rejecting applicants who won't have pork products in their homes because they are Jewish, vegetarian, vegan, just don't like pork?  Somehow I doubt it.

And can you think of any religion when one is REQUIRED to eat pork?  That would be the only way that a child's religious rights might be violated by a foster parent's refusal to let them eat pork. And here's a crazy idea -- maybe, just maybe, there are Muslim or Jewish or vegetarian or vegan  or pork-hating children who would love to be placed in a pork-free home!  Wanna bet the agency wouldn't have a problem with placing a Muslim child in a pork-filled home?

4 comments:

alainaw30 said...

Funny...I'm one of those who doesn't eat pork...not for religious reasons, just a personal choice. While I don't forbid it in my home, I won't buy it, cook it, eat it or serve it (what my husband does is up to him.) So glad I wasn't denied to adopt because I don't eat pork...

Reena said...

This incident gives me a very clear feeling that this woman is being discriminated against because she is Muslim. Plenty of Jewish families foster and adopt children and they do not eat pork products.

No Bamboozle said...

Oh, yes - Muslim discrimination is alive and well! It's not unusual to hear anti-arab comments, as well (camel jockey, etc). I do wish those who are blaming the whole religion and arab community on the war and 9/11 would educate themselves.

Three Cats and a Baby said...

Wow. This is shocking to me. My husband are adopting domestically and plan on doing foster care down the line when we (hopefully) own a bigger house. We don't eat meat. At no time in our extensive homestudy did our meat preferences ever even come up.

This just makes me sad for our country.