Muslim Cop Argues for the Right to Wear Headscarf
September 16, 2008
The article, "Muslim Cop Argues for the Right to Wear Headscarf" describes Kimberlie Webb's fight to wear a headscarf to work at the Philadelphia Police Department. The headscarf, according to her supervisors, violates department policy about banning religious clothing, including crosses. In 2003, the police commissioner, also a Muslim, suspended her for 13 days without pay for violating policy. In 2005, Webb filed suit to have her case heard in court. The author of the article asks: To what degree must employers accommodate a worker's request to wear religious garb? And when is meeting such a request an "undue burden" [difficulty] that an employer can legally deny?
Discussion Questions:
- The First Amendment of the US Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This amendment is used for courts to make decisions regarding separation of church and state. The attorney for the police department explains, "The department feels strongly that in order to effectively police, there has to be neutrality among police officer uniforms, and that anything that is differentiating-expressing some point of view [ or bias], religious or ethnic-is detrimental to that mission," Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
- Should the police department as a government agency, have the right to restrict her religious garments?
