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Judge dismisses lawsuit over Muslim scarf in court

| April 29, 2010 12:07 PM

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against a Wayne County judge who was accused of violating a woman's right to practice her religion when he told her to remove her Muslim headscarf.

U.S. District Judge Marianne Battani (Ba-TAN'-ee) says no offense was intended.

She says Raneen Albaghdady (AHL'-bag-daddy) never protested and quickly complied when told to remove her scarf in Wayne County Circuit Court last summer.

In her decision Thursday, Battani said Judge William Callahan would have allowed the woman to wear the scarf if he had known it had religious significance. Callahan doesn't allow hats.

Battani says a courtroom video does not show that Albaghdady was intimidated by the judge.

Her lawyer, Nabih Ayad, says the case should have gone to trial.