Three employees of the Noguchi Museum were fired last week for defying its updated dress code by wearing kaffiyehs, a symbol of Palestinian identity. A fourth employee, the Queens museum’s director of visitor services, was also terminated after the dress code changes.

The museum, which was founded by the Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi, announced a policy last month that prohibited employees from wearing clothing or accessories that expressed “political messages, slogans or symbols.”

The ban, which does not extend to visitors or staff members outside working hours, was introduced after several employees had been wearing kaffiyehs to work for months.

“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 Noguchi Museum said in a statement.

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.”

Natalie Cappellini, a gallery attendant who joined the museum in January and was fired after wearing a kaffiyeh, questioned the intent behind the museum’s policy.

The New York Times