to ban Sharia law, California has moved in the opposite direction.
The California Assembly, the lower house of the state legislature, last Thursday approved legislation to protect the rights of employees who wish to abide by hejab.
The bill must still pass the State Senate and be signed by Governor Jerry Brown before it become slaw.
Titled the Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2012, AB 1964 would nail down the right of workers for firms in the private sector to wear religiously-oriented clothing on the job.
That right is essentially recognized in federal law, but is often not understood by employers. The goal is to try to make that right clearer in California.
The bill has been introduced by Democratic Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada, a Japanese-American.