Judge upholds police ban on hijab

PHILADELPHIA, June 14 (UPI) -- A federal judge has upheld a Philadelphia Police Department ban on religious headgear on the job, ruling that a female officer has no right to wear a hijab.

Judge Harvey Bartle III found Wednesday that the department's policy has "a compelling public purpose," The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The department originally argued that Kimberlie Webb's Muslim head scarf was dangerous because it could be grabbed or become caught, but then said that the purpose of the regulation was "obedience, unity, commitment and esprit de corps."

Bartle found that the department policy leads to "religious neutrality."

Webb won a favorable ruling in 2003 from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Her lawyer has not decided whether to appeal.

Webb was suspended for 13 days in 2003 after she reported for duty wearing the hijab three times.