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November 24, 2007

Monkey meat & religious freedom?

Holy moly! I can't say that I would ever have anticipated something like this. Although I suppose it was inevitable in a society that reveres religious freedom.

NEW YORK - From her baptism in Liberia to Christmas years later in her adopted New York City, Mamie Manneh never lost the longing to celebrate religious rituals by eating monkey meat.

Now, the tribal customs of Manneh and other West African immigrants have become the focus of an unusual criminal case charging her with meat smuggling, and touching on issues of religious freedom, infectious diseases and wildlife preservation.

Naturally, a case such as this couldn't be as simple as that. Ms. Manneh is serving a 2-year sentence for trying to run over a woman she suspected of sleeping with her husband. If convicted of smuggling Monkey meat she faces an additional 5-years and deportation.

Be that as it may, where would you draw the line between a person's religious convictions and wildlife preservation?

Posted by Kevin at November 24, 2007 11:24 AM