Feds sue N.J. county over head-scarf prohibition
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- June
- 10
Across the river…the U.S. Justice Department this week sued Essex County, N.J., for discriminating against a Muslim corrections officer by not allowing her to wear a hijab or head scarf.
In a release, Loretta King, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, said: “Employees should not have to choose between their religious beliefs and their economic livelihood. Federal law requires all employers, even those having policies regarding the wearing of uniforms, to reasonably accommodate the religious observances and practices of their employees.”
The Newark Star-Ledger reports that in 2000, New Jersey’s Department of Corrections relaxed its no-beard policy after 33 Sunni Muslim corrections officers sued.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 10:50 am by Gary Stern.
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The world of religion, we don't have to tell you, is vast. The purpose of this blog is for Stern to note, flag and comment on some of the more interesting religious developments on the scene – weighty and quirky, somber and laughable, far away and just down the road. He won't interpret Scripture, take sides in conflicts or judge anyone. But he will take advantage of the journalist's license to observe.
