Oklahoma Muslim woman says rights violated over headscarf
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A Muslim woman who alleges she was denied entry into the Tulsa County Courthouse because of her religious headscarf has filed a federal lawsuit against the county sheriff.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday on behalf of Suha Elqutt by the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma. A similar suit was filed in California.
The lawsuit alleges Elqutt was refused entry to the courthouse on April 10 when metal detectors were set off by a hairpin under her hijab. It says officers insisted Elqutt remove her headscarf in front of male sheriff's deputies in violation of her religious beliefs.