US-Muslim player kicked off college team for disrespecting national anthem

The college says Samir was dismissed for a team rules violation

A Muslim student-athlete who refused to observe the national anthem for religious reasons at a basketball game at a western Kansas college has been kicked out of the team.

This issue has sparked concerns over whether Garden City Community College violated the civil rights of 19-year-old Rasool Samir, who continued playing the game during the anthem on November 1, leading to a confrontation with a fan who accused him of disrespecting the flag, New York Post reports.



The college says Samir was dismissed for the violation of team rules, because he did not leave the court with his teammates when the anthem was played.

Samir stated that he was not protesting, according to the the Garden City Telegram, which obtained a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union saying, “he refrained from participating in the anthem because he is a Muslim and his faith prohibits acts of reverence to anything but God.”

https://twitter.com/RasoolSamir/status/921824248607461376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2017%2F11%2F16%2Fmuslim-player-kicked-off-college-team-after-anthem-faceoff-with-fan%2F

During the Community College opener, Samir kept shooting balls as fans stood, honouring the flag. According to the Telegram, a fan came out of the stands after “The Star-Spangled Banner” and confronted him, leading to an argument and a campus police officer separating them. Samir was escorted off the court and the fan, Jim Howard, went back to his seat with applause from some in the stands.



“I’ve had enough of disrespecting our flag,” Howard told the newspaper. “I’ve been raising money for 32 years for this college, trying to help pay for scholarships for these kids. If they’re not going to respect our flag, then they need to get off of our campus and out of Garden City.”

The ACLU has voiced concern that Samir may have been disciplined for exercising his First Amendment rights. It’s still gathering information and hasn’t decided whether to sue.

This article originally appeared on the NewYork Post.