Is Yasiin Bey’s religious headgear a threat to South African security?
The rapper and actor formerly known as Mos Def appeared in court very briefly on Tuesday for the second time since his arrest in South Africa.
As AFP reports, Bey, 42, was initially turned away at Bellville Magistrate's Court in Cape Town for refusing to remove a turban he was wearing. He left and came back wearing a purple headscarf. Upon his return, the state prosecutors requested a two-week postponement of the hearing. Bey will remain free on bail of R5 000 (about $435). He’ll appear back in court on March 24.
Bey’s charges include using a false identity and “aiding and abetting his family to stay illegally in South Africa,” reports AFP.
The artist was arrested in January while trying to leave South Africa using a World Passport. At the time, Okayafrica spoke with an official representative of Bey’s, who maintained that the allegations against him are false, asserting that the World Passport was used in good faith and was not fraudulent.
Bey himself took to Kanye West’s official website to offer a sweeping response to his arrest and maintain that he has broken no laws. “I have made no false claims,” Bey said during the ten-minute phone recording. “I have not misrepresented myself. I’m under unnecessary state supervision… And, I have reason to believe, or suspect, that there are political motivations behind the way that I am being treated. This is following no reasonable strain of logic, and it’s also… curious. I haven’t broken any law. And I’m being treated like a criminal.”
This is a developing story. We will continue to update the post as more information becomes available.
