Coast Guard to Allow Religious Headgear in ID Photos

April 25, 2006

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/25/nyregion/25mbrfs.html?ex=1146801600&en=8bdf94e65212b03a&ei=5070

On April 25, 2006 The New York Times reported, "The Coast Guard has changed its rules and will allow merchant mariners to wear religious headgear in their identity photographs. The change, implemented on April 17, came less than three weeks after a suit was filed by a Muslim oil barge captain named Khalid Hakim, left, whose job is based in New York. Mr. Hakim, an American-born convert to Islam, has been a merchant mariner since the 1970's and wore his round knitted skullcap in official photos for more than 20 years. But after Sept. 11, 2001, he was told that he had to remove the skullcap for his ID photograph."