Madison, USA - The state Department of Corrections will change its policy to allow visitors to Wisconsin prisons to wear religious headwear, an official said Thursday.
Secretary Matt Frank's announcement came a day after a lawsuit accused the department and two male prison guards of violating a Muslim woman's right to practice her religion by forcing her to remove her scarf, or hijab, before a prison visit.
``I'm very concerned about the allegations,'' Frank told The Associated Press. ``We can and will make accommodations to ensure our prison system operates safely and securely while recognizing the right that visitors have to practice their religion.''
Frank said the hat and headwear ban went into effect in January 2003 for security reasons, and did not include an exemption for religious headwear.
Frank stopped short of apologizing to Cynthia Rhouni, of Madison, saying he was still looking into the allegations contained in the federal lawsuit. The suit had sought the change in policy, and still seeks unspecified damages.
Rhouni, who describes herself as a devout Muslim, claims male prison guards ordered her to take off her scarf to visit her estranged husband at a maximum-security prison north of Madison.
She complied because she wanted her husband to see her teenage son. ``I just felt totally naked. I was really, really hurt,'' Rhouni said in an interview Wednesday.