"jedi kicked out of supermarket

[brandon_]

Jedi religion founder accuses Tesco of discrimination over rules on hoods

Daniel Jones says he was humiliated and victimised for his beliefs following incident at store in Wales


* Helen Carter
* guardian.co.uk, Friday 18 September 2009 15.29 BST
* Article history

Tesco has been accused of religious discrimination after the company ordered the founder of a Jedi religion to remove his hood or leave a branch of the supermarket in north Wales.

Daniel Jones, founder of the religion inspired by the Star Wars films, says he was humiliated and victimised for his beliefs following the incident at a Tesco store in Bangor.

The 23-year-old, who founded the International Church of Jediism, which has 500,000 followers worldwide, was told the hood flouted store rules.

But the grocery empire struck back, claiming that the three best known Jedi Knights in the Star Wars movies – Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker – all appeared in public without their hoods. Jones, from Holyhead, who is known by the Jedi name Morda Hehol, said his religion dictated that he should wear the hood in public places and is considering legal action against the chain.

"It states in our Jedi doctrination that I can wear headwear. It just covers the back of my head," he said.

"You have a choice of wearing headwear in your home or at work but you have to wear a cover for your head when you are in public."

He said he'd gone to the store to buy something to eat during his lunch break when staff approached him and ordered him to the checkout where they explained he would have to remove the offending hood or leave the store.

"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.

"They weren't listening to me and were rude. They had three people around me. It was intimidating." Jones, who has made an official complaint to Tesco, is considering a boycott of the store and is seeking legal advice.

Tesco said: "He hasn't been banned. Jedis are very welcome to shop in our stores although we would ask them to remove their hoods.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Luke Skywalker all appeared hoodless without ever going over to the Dark Side and we are only aware of the Emperor as one who never removed his hood.

"If Jedi walk around our stores with their hoods on, they'll miss lots of special offers."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/18/jedi-religion-tesco-hood-jones

 

[brandon_]

Does anybody really thing that this "jedi" has a valid argument if this where to go to the court's ? 

 

[jeffb]

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.

"They weren't listening to me and were rude. They had three people around me. It was intimidating." Jones, who has made an official complaint to Tesco, is considering a boycott of the store and is seeking legal advice.

What kind of Jedi get intimidated by three store employees? Couldn't he just wave his hand and say "I can wear my hood in here." 

 

[The Bread Guy]

Hey, he could have had it WAY worse, depending on which manager was on duty....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wGR4-SeuJ0

 

[Sythen]

Its awesome we can laugh at him... If this were a Muslim wearing a burka, how many people would be leaping to their defense?

 

[OldSolduer]

Its awesome we can laugh at him... If this were a Muslim wearing a burka, how many people would be leaping to their defense?

Good question. I bet there would be scads of our more "enlightened" brethern.

 

[brandon_]

What kind of Jedi get intimidated by three store employees?

Must not have been a very intimidateing jedi.

Its awesome we can laugh at him... If this were a Muslim wearing a burka, how many people would be leaping to their defense?

  Yeah thats true, but muslim is a VERY established relgion, and the majority of the world know about there religion, On the other hand "jediisim" never thought it would be a real religion.....

 

[OldSolduer]

Jedi? I've been practicing for years!!

For instance when I was instructing at CFRS Cornwallis I would say "troops, concentrate on your footwear tonight" and magicall the next morning their footwear was half way decent!
We never had neat costumes though.....but we did have a few Darths. :blotto:

 

[Harris]

Hell,  every CO I've ever had was a Jedi.  "RSM, don't you think those rocks would look better white?"  The next day lo and behold........  Or, OC A it's too bad the troops aren't all wearing scrim on their helmets.....  If that's not a Jedi mind trick, I don't know what is.

 

[Bass ackwards]

Does anybody really thing that this "jedi" has a valid argument if this where to go to the court's ?

Have you heard much about our Human Rights Commissions...?
It's probably a lucky thing for the store that this didn't happen in Canada.

 

[Steve_D]

OMFG, 23 yrs old and this is how he thinks? You have GOT to be kidding me.

:rofl:

 

[MARS]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8003067.stm

wow...just, wow.

http://www.snopes.com/religion/jedi.asp

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Nothing in Britian suprises me any more. Now Boy Scouts are no longer allowed to carry a pocket knife. That island is doomed and will soon implode on itself with all their stupid PC laws and regulations. It is not the Britannia of my ancestors. Hard to believe they were once the masters of the world's oceans and the majority of the known world.

 

[Shec]

Nothing in Britian suprises me any more. Now Boy Scouts are no longer allowed to carry a pocket knife. That island is doomed and will soon implode on itself with all their stupid PC laws and regulations. It is not the Britannia of my ancestors. Hard to believe they were once the masters of the world's oceans and the majority of the known world.

As Archie Bunker called it 40 odd years ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dKpHtc9F9M

;D

 

[brandon_]

Have you heard much about our Human Rights Commissions...?
It's probably a lucky thing for the store that this didn't happen in Canada.

Yeah i have heard about the HRC.
But even tho it didn't happen in canada (i'll google this, if it's similiar to canada, i aassume it's similar tho) I suppose That would be something covered by INTErnational law, for it does follow his religious beliefs ? So wouldn't that hold a VERY VAILED argument in crourt?

... Boy Scouts are no longer allowed to carry a pocket knife...

Are you serious....  , thats pittiful.

 

[Yrys]

Personaly, I just LOVE the answer of Tesco  ;D !

 

[gcclarke]

Quite frankly, I don't see how his religious beliefs are any less valid than those of the Muslim women who Tesco does allow to shop with their head covered. The mere fact that this guy is the one who founded the religion shouldn't really matter, as any religion has to be founded by someone. So unless we really want to leave it up to the courts to decide that one religion is a "valid" one and another one is "fake", it seems to me that Tesco should be bound to treat people of all faiths equally.

And even if the courts do decide to declare some religions invalid and others to be "true", on what basis would they use? Unless the proponent of a particular religion can summon up their God(s) to testify in court, or in this case use the force to lift a rock or something, I can't really see any valid means of measurement other than perhaps popularity. And if this is the case, I'd like to remind people that in the 2001 British Census, there were more self-identified Jedi Knights than there were Jews.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Jedi? I've been practicing for years!!

For instance when I was instructing at CFRS Cornwallis I would say "troops, concentrate on your footwear tonight" and magicall the next morning their footwear was half way decent!
We never had neat costumes though.....but we did have a few Darths. :blotto:

That...was...hilarious!

 

[Steve_D]

My wife is also a Jedi...she says "gee I am cold" and before I know what happened, I am turning up the heat in the house.  No idea what happened.  I heard a lot of wives are secret Jedi.

 

[Neill McKay]

Quite frankly, I don't see how his religious beliefs are any less valid than those of the Muslim women who Tesco does allow to shop with their head covered. The mere fact that this guy is the one who founded the religion shouldn't really matter, as any religion has to be founded by someone. So unless we really want to leave it up to the courts to decide that one religion is a "valid" one and another one is "fake", it seems to me that Tesco should be bound to treat people of all faiths equally.

If taken to its logical conclusion your argument would allow anyone to do anything, legal or not, on the basis of religion.  Want to go to school naked?  Just found your own religion and include that in its practices.

I think the line has to be drawn based on how established a religion is.  To be considered a religion I suggest that it would have to enjoy widespread practice over a long time by people with an honest belief in its teachings -- otherwise it's just a club, or maybe a cult.