(AllHipHop News) Just when you thought that racism and prejudice primarily existed in the United States, we learned today that South Africa is still up to its dirty tricks that we thought ended with apartheid in the mid 1990’s.
In an act of blatant disrespect, today a judge forced former rapper and actor Yasiin Bey to remove a religious garment from his head prior the day’s court proceedings.
Despite the prejudiced act by South African courts, Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) returned to court with a scarf on his head in order to still observe his personal religious beliefs.
While it’s believed Mr. Bey practices Islam, turban-wearing traditions can be found in the Indian Subcontinent, Afghanistan, South Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, and parts of the Swahili Coast which encompass many different religions.
The former Black Star rapper has a new court date set in a case that stems from overextending his stay with an expired visa and “aiding and abetting” his family members to overstay their welcome in South Africa where Yasiin Bey has been living since 2013.
“I am currently in Cape Town South Africa and I am being prevented from leaving unjustly, unlawfully and without any logical reason,” Yasiin Bey said in statement back in January on Kanye West’s website.
In addition to aiding and abetting his family to stay illegally in South Africa” Yasiin Bey is charged with trying to use a “world passport” to exit the country on a flight to Ethiopia.
Currently the Brooklyn bred rapper born, Dante Terrell Smith, is out on what amounts to a $300 bail and has a new court date set for March 24th.
More news as details emerge.
