Muslim woman sues judge

       A Muslim woman on Wednesday sued a Michigan judge for telling her to remove her headscarf in his courtroom, claiming he violated her constitutional right to practise her religion.
       Raneen Albaghdady,32, says she felt humiliated when Wayne County Circuit Judge William Callahan ordered her to remove her hijab at a June 16 hearing in his Detroit courtroom. The headscarf,which does not cover the face, is worn by many Muslims in the US.
       "This is the country and the land of freedom, and we're not supposed to be treated like this for the scarf," the Dearborn Heights woman said on Wednesday at the Southfield headquarters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Michigan chapter, which joined in the federal lawsuit against Judge Callahan and Wayne County.
       Ms Albaghdady pushed back her head-scarf at the judge's request during a hearing on her request to change her name. Judge Callahan denied the request on technical grounds.
       "Judge Callahan and the court have the greatest respect for spiritual practices and all religious preferences," Judge Callahan said in a statement released by the court."Had he been informed that the head covering had some religious significance, the judge would have permitted Ms Albaghdady to continue wearing it in court."
       Ms Albaghdady, a native of Iraq, said she was intimidated by Judge Callahan and feared she would be arrested if she refused to remove her hijab.
       "I come from a country where you can't say no to a judge in a courtroom,"she said.
       The lawsuit asks a federal judge to order judges in Wayne County to allow the wearing of the headscarf in court.