Is this an example of Proverbs 27:14?

[Daniel_Marsh]

Proverbs 27:14
If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.

Pastor Azim Shariat, originally from Iran, has lived in the United States for thirty years and is a U.S. citizen. In 1981, he converted from Islam to Christianity and is now a pastor who eagerly seeks to share his faith. A few years ago, Pastor Shariat attended a Persian New Year’s Festival in a public park in Orange County, California, along with tens of thousands of other celebrants. Pastor Shariat brought a portable radio/cassette player and played Christian music. Someone in the predominantly-Muslim atmosphere complained to the police. However, since many others in the park were playing other types of music, Pastor Shariat was shocked when the police arrested him for allegedly violating a county sound ordinance.

Following his humiliating, public arrest, as well as physical mistreatment, the county decided not to prosecute. To ensure it didn’t happen again, Pastor Shariat filed suit challenging the way this ordinance was applied. Several law enforcement officers testified with widely differing views of what the law required, and to whom they would apply it. Nevertheless, the trial court ruled in the county’s favor that the law was not vague. After reviewing the case at the request of Pastor Shariat’s attorneys, PJI became convinced that the pastor’s constitutional rights were violated. PJI has now submitted an amicus brief to the California Court of Appeals.

Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, stated, “Religious intolerance is not confined to dark corners of the world like Iran—it is on the prowl in Orange County. We are hopeful that the Court of Appeals will heed the warning signs and vindicate Pastor Shariat.”

pacificjustice.org/resources/news/focusdetails.cfm?ID=PR060118a