Persecution of Rastafari

Persecution of Rastafari

Persecution of members of the Rastafari movement, a group founded in Jamaica in the early 1930s and who worship Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia as Almighty God, has been fairly continuous since the movement began but nowadays is particularly concerning their spiritual use of cannabis, a herb illegal almost everywhere in the world.

The first Rastafari to appear in a court was Leonard Howell in Jamaica in 1934 who was charged with sedition for refusing to accept George V of the United Kingdom as his King, instead insisting that he was only loyal to Selassie I and Ethiopia. He was found guilty and sentenced to several years in prison.

By the 1950s, Rastafari's message of racial pride and unity had unnerved the ruling class of Jamaica, and confrontations between the poor black Rastas and middle-class police were common. Many Rastas were beaten, and some killed. Others were humiliated by having their sacred dreadlocks cut off. In 1954, the Pinnacle commune was destroyed by Jamaican authorities.

Attitudes began to change when Selassie I visited Jamaica in April 1966. The popularisation of Rastafari through reggae music, and especially through the heroic status of Bob Marley have made the Rastafari far more acceptable than they were, though their use of cannabis remains as controversial as ever.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Rastafari movement — Main doctrines Jah · Afrocentrism …   Wikipedia

  • Mansions of Rastafari — Haile Selassie of Ethiopia Mansions of Rastafari are branches of the Rastafari movement. Mansions include the Bobo Shanti, the Niyabinghi, the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and others. The term is taken from the Biblical verse in John 14:2, In my… …   Wikipedia

  • Sam Brown (Rastafari) — Ras Sam Brown (16 December 1925 August 1998) was a Jamaican Rastafari elder well known in Kingston for his politics after he participated in the elections of 1961 with his Suffering People s party. He received fewer than 100 votes, yet by being… …   Wikipedia

  • Abrahamic religions — Symbols of the Abrahamic religions: Judaism represented by the Star of David (top), Christianity represented by the Cross (left), and Islam represented by the Arabic calligraphy of God s name (Allah) (right). Abrahamic religions are the… …   Wikipedia

  • God — This article is about the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. For the general polytheistic concept, see Deity. For God in the context of various religions, see an index of pages beginning in God in . For other uses, see God… …   Wikipedia

  • Bob Marley — For the American comedian, see Bob Marley (comedian). Bob Marley …   Wikipedia

  • Marcus Garvey — Garvey in 1945 Born Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr. 17 August 1887(1887 08 17) St. Ann s Bay, Jamaica …   Wikipedia

  • Demographics of atheism — Part of a series on Atheism …   Wikipedia

  • Major religious groups — For the TV show see World Religions (TV series). For a breakdown by religion see list of religions. The world s principal religions and spiritual traditions may be classified into a small number of major groups, although this is by no means a… …   Wikipedia

  • List of conspiracy theories — The list of conspiracy theories is a collection of the most popular unproven theories related but not limited to clandestine government plans, elaborate murder plots, suppression of secret technology and knowledge, and other supposed schemes… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”