By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Jhumpa Lahiri has refused to accept an award from New York City’s Noguchi Museum after the museum fired three employees for wearing headscarves called keffiyehs, an emblem of Palestinian solidarity, following an updated dress code.
“Jhumpa Lahiri has decided to withdraw her acceptance of the 2024 Isamu Noguchi Prize in response to our updated dress code policy,” the museum said in a statement Wednesday.
“We respect your perspective and understand that this policy may or may not be in line with everyone’s opinion.” Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for her book “The Interpreter of Maladies.”
The New York Times was the first to report the news.
Around the world, protesters demanding an end to Israel’s war in Gaza have worn the black-and-white keffiyeh scarf, a symbol of Palestinian self-determination.
South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela was also seen wearing the scarf on many occasions.
Supporters of Israel, on the other hand, say this amounts to support for extremism.
In November, three students of Palestinian descent were shot in an attack in Vermont. Two of them were wearing the keffiyeh.
The Israeli assault on Gaza has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced almost all of the area’s inhabitants. The attack followed a deadly attack by Palestinian Hamas militants against Israel on October 7.
Last month, the art museum, founded by Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi, announced a policy banning employees from wearing anything that expresses “political messages, slogans or symbols.” Three employees were fired.
Other people in the United States have also lost their jobs because of their stance on the war between Israel and Gaza.
In May, a New York City hospital fired a Palestinian-American nurse after she called Israel’s actions in Gaza “genocide” during her award acceptance speech. Israel denies South Africa’s accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice.