Assistant chief of police, Anita Najiy, created a bone of contention between the Miami Police Department and the Fraternal Order of Police President, Javier Ortiz, after she refused to hold her hand over her heart for the Pledge of Allegiance during a recent promotional ceremony.
Ortiz became livid in seeing Najiy refuse to honor the Pledge, stating that she failed to exhibit courtesy and etiquette that “must be exercised when wearing a law enforcement uniform.”
“If you’re not pledging allegiance to the United States, my question is what country are you pledging allegiance to?” Ortiz asks. “Anyone who isn’t offended by that is not American, because when you become a U.S. citizen, you pledge allegiance to the US.”
Ortiz also states that Najiy’s disrepect comes from her Muslim belief, but that normal “protections” or exemptions generally given in the name of religious freedom and speech doesn´t apply to those in police uniform because “you’re supposed to be neutral.”
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To be a government employee, you should be required to say the pledge of allegiance with or without God in it, to get the job. I think everyone should have to start swearing on a book of the cons$#%&!@*ution instead of a bible, Quran or any other religious book. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in God and revere his presence in my life, but that that’s personal. If a person doesn’t believe in God, swearing on the bible wouldn’t make him tell the truth.
SHE SHOULD BE FIRED!
Melinda…After 32 years old dutiful service her track record suggests that her loyalty is to the people of the City of Miami. Her ACTIONS should trump some symbolic gesture. The fact that you would question her loyalty after 3 decades of service just demonstrates your obvious prejudice….prejudice against a fellow American Citizen no less……sad.
If she objects to reciting the pledge for religious reasons she is WELL WITHING HER RIGHTS AS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN to not say the pledge…..as the Supreme Court and the 1st Amendment provides.
Believe it or not..she can be loyal to the country, to its citizens to her city….AND peacefully disagree with the wording of the pledge. That doesn’t make her a terrorist..it makes her an American Citizen in a Free Democracy.
Then please go back to your country an you do not have to
Patti how could you possibly KNOW that her allegiance is to another country?! And which country…Canada, Switzerland? Perhaps her objection to the pledge has NOTHING to do with her commitment to this country….perhaps she objects on religious grounds because christians decided to insert ‘under god” into the pledge in 1954 when it survived perfectly will without it for 60 years before that.
The fact is she has probably done more for the citizens of her city than you or I have for ours, and her 32 years of service should trump a cerimonial gesture. The fact that you question the loyalty of an American Citizen that has given over 3 Decades of their life protecting the Citizens of Miami only demonstrates prejudice on your part…..prejudice against a fellow American.
FIRE THE BASTARD!!
$#%&!@* the Muslims
Daniel if you didn’t want people to comment or potentially disagree with you then why did you post anything? And with all due respect I think you and the muslims are both wrong. Just because I think muslim-Americans should have the same rights as christian-Americans doesn’t mean I believe in either religion. There may in fact be a god…or gods…but religion is obviously man-made and the chances that any one of them are correct are astronomically low.
You totally missed my point about the 10 Commandments…there is NOTHING SPECIAL about them. Human beings already KNEW not to kill, steal, lie before christianity. That knowledge is innate in all of us. Its just that christians adopted human morals and then claimed that they own them…which isn’t true.
How exactly am I trying to destroy the country? I believe we are all humans and I believe in equality. If you could manage to keep your religion to yourself I wouldn’t even know or care that you were a christian…I thought it was supposed to be a personal relationship anyway. But when you try to use the government to enforce your beliefs then I object to that. I can renounce your god without renouncing the Country. If you want a country with ONE Religion….try Iran or Saudi Arabia. Thankfully in this country we are free to worship any god or no god at all.
The fact is you don’t know anything about her…so why would you even question her allegiances? Even though you don’t know anything about her you still instantly called for her to be fired.
Do you even know what you are saying? If she followed Sharia law…how could she keep her job for 3 decades? Your argument is nothing but prejudice.
You would think that an American Citizen that has faithfully served the City of Miami and its citizens for 32 years would deserve a little more respect. Guess not….
Fire him as $#%&!@*t police chief; he is or should be upholding the government of Florida and our cons$#%&!@*ution. You go by our laws butthead.