LYNDHURST, CALIFORNIA, July 24, 2001: Four months after a bouncer turned him away at the door, a 15-year-old Sikh youth has won the right to wear his religious headdress inside the Groove Lounge dance club in Lyndhurst. Sarab Singh Thapar, an American citizen born and raised in West Orange, was denied entry because the club’s policy prohibited patrons from wearing hats inside the club in order to prevent fighting. Thapar said. After four months of phone calls between lawyers, the club agreed to change its “no hats” policy. Hats are still not allowed, but the ban will exempt religious head coverings. Sikhs have similarly won the right to wear their religious symbols, such as a ceremonial knife, in places where they would usually be banned.
A daily summary of world news for Hindus and non-Hindus alike