NEW YORK, Oct 7: The New York Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit asking a federal court to order the Department of Correctional Services to allow a Muslim official to wear his skullcap (Kufi cap) while on duty.
The suit, filed in the Federal District Court, says Abdus Samad Haqq, 53, a guard at the Lincoln work-release facility, has been barred by supervisors since last year from wearing his ‘kufi’ — a cap Muslims wear to signal devotion.
The suit notes that the United States military, the city correction department and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority all allow exceptions to their uniform codes for religious headgear.
