(SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE) When 13-year-old Noorah Abdo went with her family in August to the Boomers amusement park in Livermore, the ride she especially looked forward to was the go-karts. But when she got to the ticket window, she was told her head scarf, which she wore for religious reasons as a Muslim, violated the park's no-headwear safety policy for that ride.
Her father, Nasir, protested, proposing to cover Noorah's head with a helmet or a hoodie, but said a manager told him there were no exceptions. They were shown a policy statement, which read, in part, "If fashion, religious expression or your hair style is more important to you than safety, that's fine. You can do what you want with your life. You just can't do it at our park."
California's civil rights agency may have a different view. The state, which has one of the nation's strongest laws protecting business customers from discrimination, is being asked to intervene on behalf of Noorah and others barred from Boomers' go-karts because of their religious attire.
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