Tesco Store Accused Of Religious Discrimination By Jedi Religion Founder

October 14, 2009 11:06 a.m. EST

Bangor, Wales (AHN) - The founder of the Jedi religion, Daniel Jones, was forced to leave a branch of the supermarket Tesco after refusing to remove his distinctive brown hood.

Jones, a founder of the religion inspired by the Star Wars films, told England's The Guardian he felt humiliated and victimized for his beliefs after the incident in Bangor, North Wales.

Tesco employees told 23-year-old Jones that his Jedi hood violated store rules. But Jones claims the religion, with over 500,000 followers, prescribes that he should don the hood while in public, The Guardian reported.

The grocery store giant struck back, pointing out that the three best-known Jedi knights in the Star Wars films-Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker-all appeared in public without their trademark brown hoods.

Jones of Holyhead, who also goes by his Jedi name Morda Hehol, was in the store to buy something to eat during his lunch break when Tesco staff approached him, asking him to remove the hood, England's the Daily Mail reported.

A Tesco spokesperson told the Mail that Jedis weren't banned from their stores-just that they'd have to remove their hoods to do their grocery shopping.