Two Pennsylvania students will be allowed to wear kaffiyeh scarves to school. The checkered scarves, worn by many in the Middle East and a frequently warn in solidarity with the Palestinian people, was banned after complaint by Jewish students at the Gateway High School in Monroeville; the students were sent home after the complaints. Alongside members of various interfaith and civil rights organizations, a representative of CAIR’s Pittsburg chapter met with the principal to discuss the events. The principal reportedly said that his initial ban was an attempt to ease tension between Jewish and Muslim students. “We thank school officials for recognizing that all students have the right to freedom of expression and that cultural symbols such as kaffiyehs have nothing to do with hate or terrorism,” said CAIR-Pittsburgh Communications Coordinator Zohra Lasania. She also thanked all the other groups that turned out in defense of constitutional rights.
