Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have your own country? Easton resident Fabiola Is Ra El Bey wondered, and took it a step further. Fourteen steps further, to be exact.
Easton records indicate that Bey filed for sovereignty status with the federal government. It's similar to what American Indians have - a tax-free, independent nation within U.S. jurisdiction.
How is that possible? It's complicated, to say the least. Bey claimed her Moorish rights to basically secede from the country. Bey belongs to the Moorish Science Temple, a heterodox Islamic sect founded in 1913 by prophet Noble Drew Ali. In her application, Bey states that "being Moorish American, we have and possess the internationally recognized Rights to determine our own 'Status of the State'..."
Her application reads like a fiction novel written by a gaggle of lawyers. She states that she uses American currency, bank accounts, a social security number, a drivers license and other everyday minutia "to avoid extreme inconvenience. ... were there an alternative, I would be happy to use it."
According to Easton records, Bey's property is called "Is Ra El Bey of Aspetuck Quinnehtukqut Territory Fabiola." ('Quinnehtukqut' being the etymological mother of 'Connecticut,' meaning 'beside the long tidal river.')
One Easton resident said that he thinks Bey's plan is to avoid taxes. Bey's house is reportedly under foreclosure, and she is also suing the collections law firm, Hunt Leibert Jacobson. Should she be granted sovereign status, she may be able to keep her home.
Perhaps this is America's solution to home foreclosures - new countries for everyone. "I hope she gets away with it," said an Easton man, who wished to go unnamed. "Let's wait and see."
Repeated attempts to contact Bey and Hunt Leibert Jacobson were unsuccessful.
