NY allows Muslim prison guard to wear kufi to work

NEW YORK, May 9 (Reuters) New York prison guards will be allowed to accommodate religious practices in their uniforms after settlement of a lawsuit on behalf of a Muslim prison officer, the New York Civil Liberties Union said today.

The settlement with the New York Department of Correctional Services will allow Abdus Samad Haqq, a devout Muslim corrections officer, to wear a kufi, or skullcap, on the job after he was ordered not to wear it in 2005, according to the NYCLU.

The union, which filed the suit in Manhattan federal court on behalf of Haqq last October, said the settlement meant other prison officers would also have religious rights in wearing their uniforms.

''New York has now abandoned its policy of refusing to accommodate the religious beliefs of correction officers,'' said NYCLU lawyer Christopher Dunn.

Brian Fischer, commissioner of the correctional services department, said in a statement it revised its policy ''to make reasonable accommodations in the workplace when it comes to the religious beliefs and practices of its employees.'' In March the US Justice Department filed a similar lawsuit against the Department of Correctional Services citing Haqq's case and arguing that Americans were not required to abandon their religion when they report to work. That case is still pending.

Haqq, 53, wore the skullcap without incident for more than 10 years before he was ordered to remove it because it was not part of a sanctioned uniform.

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