A New York City museum has fired three employees for wearing keffiyehs in solidarity with Palestinians—a violation of a new dress code instituted last month against “political messages, slogans or symbols.”
The Noguchi Museum in Queens, N.Y., said: “While we understand that the intention behind wearing this garment was to express personal views, we recognize that such expressions can unintentionally alienate segments of our diverse visitorship.”
The statement added: “Within the museum, our responsibility is to foster a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for all staff and visitors. To maintain this environment, we have made the decision to remove political statements from our workplace.”
A fourth employee, the director of visitor services, was also fired, The New York Times reported.
Founded by and dedicated to the preservation of the works of Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi, the museum features his sculptures, architectural models, drawings, and stage and furniture designs.
Natalie Cappellini, one of the three fired gallery attendants, posted to Instagram, “I think the word ‘political’ is being weaponized to censor Palestinian culture and existence. The politicization of the keffiyeh is imposed by leadership.”
She said the keffiyeh was “a cultural garment, and we are wearing it for cultural reasons.”
Several days after the museum changed its dress code, 50 staff members—some two-thirds of the staff—signed a petition protesting the decision.
“The museum has not made any public statement surrounding the ongoing war in Gaza, but by changing the dress code to ban the keffiyeh it is taking a public stance,” the petition said.
A handful of workers and supporters also gathered outside the museum carrying placards that read: “Cultural institution bans culture,” and “Noguchi’s self-interment good enough to monetize. Palestinian solidarity? Good enough to ban,” referring to Noguchi’s 1942 decision to voluntarily place himself in an Arizona detention camp in protest against the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
No reason was given for firing the director of visitor services, Aria Rostamizadeh, except that it was not for wearing a keffiyeh.
Rostamizadeh’s wife told the Times in a text message that on the advice of his lawyers, her husband was not giving interviews.
“She said he had been fired by Amy Hau, the museum’s director, because Hau had ‘lost faith in his ability to manage his staff,’” the Times said. “She said her husband had enforced the dress code despite personally disagreeing with it.”
The distinctive black-and-white keffiyeh worn by the employees has long been associated with the Palestinian war against Israel.
It was the signature headdress of Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization that carried out countless acts of terror against Israeli civilians. Arafat is known as the “father of modern terrorism.”
