Muslim Can Move Ahead With Challenge To Ban On Kufi In Juvenile Court

In Al-Qadir v. Wackenhut Corp., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 75304 (MD TN, May 31, 2012), a Tennessee federal magistrate judge recommended against dismissing a free exercise claim by a Muslim who contended that a Wackenhut security guard denied him entry to, and subsequently removed him from, the Juvenile Court building in Nashville, Tennessee because he was wearing a Kufi. Plaintiff agreed to remove the kufi to be searched, but insisted on then wearing it again. Apparently the publicity caused by the filing of this case has caused the Juvenile Court to modify its policy for the future.