Man Barred from Court for Muslim Head Covering

ATLANTA (AP) -- A man said he was barred from a county courtroom on Thursday because he refused to remove his Muslim head covering, nearly two years after Georgia's judges voted to allow religious headwear in all state courtrooms.

Troy ``Tariq'' Montgomery said Henry County State Court Judge James Chafin blocked him from entering his courtroom three separate times to dispute a traffic ticket because he was wearing a kufi, a traditional Muslim head covering. His attorney, Mawuli Mel Davis, said he would soon file a motion challenging the decision.

``I wasn't really upset about being rejected. I just didn't understand it,'' said Montgomery, a 46-year-old barber. ``This country has afforded us freedoms so that we can practice our religion and I was trying to exercise those freedoms.''

Chafin's secretary, Jennifer Starr, said the judge would not comment on a pending case.