
Pulitzer winner Jhumpa Lahiri declines award over New York museum's keffiyeh ban
The Hindu
Jhumpa Lahiri declines award over keffiyeh controversy at Noguchi Museum, sparking debate on Israel-Palestine conflict.
Pulitzer Prize winning author Jhumpa Lahiri declined to accept an award from New York City's Noguchi Museum after it fired three employees for wearing keffiyeh head scarves, an emblem of Palestinian solidarity, following an updated dress code.
"Jhumpa Lahiri has chosen to withdraw her acceptance of the 2024 Isamu Noguchi Award in response to our updated dress code policy," the museum said in a statement on Wednesday (September 25, 2024).
"We respect her perspective and understand that this policy may or may not align with everyone's views." Ms. Lahiri received the Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for her book "Interpreter of Maladies."
Also read: Why are students protesting across U.S. campuses? | Explained
The New York Times first reported the news.
Across the world, in protesters demanding an end to Israel's war in Gaza have worn the black-and-white keffiyeh head scarf, a symbol of Palestinian self-determination.
Anti apartheid South African leader Nelson Mandela was also seen wearing the scarf on many occasions.

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