CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — The ACLU filed a lawsuit Tuesday against a southeast Missouri city after a former library worker claimed she was disciplined when she refused to work at an event to promote a Harry Potter book due to her religious beliefs.

The woman, Deborah Smith, is a Southern Baptist who believes the Harry Potter books "popularize witchcraft and the practice of the occult," said Anthony Rothert, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri.

Smith worked as a part-time library assistant at the Poplar Bluff Public Library for more than a year, but said she could not take part in a July 20, 2007, event to mark the release of the "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" book by J.K. Rowling the next day. In the Potter books, children have magical powers. Library employees were expected to dress as witches and wizards at the event, Rothert said.

He said Smith was suspended for 10 days without pay when she refused to work at the event, which was held outside of the library's normal hours. Smith, who has a pacemaker, did tasks like checking out library patrons' books and answering phones prior to the dispute.

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Courtesy: St Louis Today