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Convicted Muslim protests Sherburne Jail ban on headscarf

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Oct 28, 2011 at 9:02 am

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A Muslim woman convicted of conspiring to funnel money to terrorists in Somalia is protesting a ban on headwear at the Sherburne County Jail where she's an inmate.

Amina Farah Ali says her religion, Islam, requires her to wear a head covering, or hijab, in public. Ali's attorney, Dan Scott, says she has refused to come out of her jail cell to eat.

Jail commander Pat Carr tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press that no personal clothing is allowed in the jail, including headgear. Sheriff Joel Brott says Ali is not going without food, but he didn't know if she was eating in a dayroom or her cell.

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is asking the sheriff's office to grant religious accommodation to inmates who wear the hijab.

Ali, of Rochester, was convicted last week of conspiracy to provide material support to al-Shabab.