Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhampa Lahiri has declined to accept the award given by the Noguchi Museum in New York after three employees were fired for hiring a Palestinian escort.
New York’s Noguchi Museum has fired three employees for wearing headscarves in solidarity with Palestinians. Jhampa Lahiri has protested this move saying that she cannot accept the Isamu Noguchi Award given by this museum.
“We have updated the dress code and it may not meet everyone’s expectations,” the Noguchi Museum management said in a statement. We appreciate Jhumpa Lahiri’s sentiments.
A keffiyeh scarf is actually a handkerchief that is also used by men. The great leader of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, also expressed solidarity with the Palestinians by wearing this scarf many times.