Pulitzer Prize Winner Jhumpa Lahiri Declines Award in Protest of Keffiyeh Ban at New York Museum

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Jhumpa Lahiri refused to accept an award from the Noguchi Museum in New York City, which fired three staff members for adhering to an updated dress code and dressing in keffiyeh head scarves, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity.

In response to our revised dress code policy, Jhumpa Lahiri has decided to rescind her acceptance of the 2024 Isamu Noguchi Award, the museum said in a statement on Wednesday.

“We respect her perspective and understand that this policy may or may not align with everyone’s views.” Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for her work “Interpreter of Maladies.”

The first to report on the news was The New York Times.

Demonstrators calling for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza have worn the black-and-white keffiyeh head scarf, a symbol of Palestinian self-determination, throughout the world.

opposing apartheid Leader of South Africa Nelson Mandela was also frequently spotted donning the scarf.

On the other hand, Israel’s opponents claim that this indicates support for extremism.

In November, an attack in Vermont resulted in the shooting of three students of Palestinian descent. There were two wearing the keffiyeh.

Israel’s continuous assault has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and forced almost everyone in Gaza to flee. Palestinian Hamas militants killed Israeli forces on October 7.

The Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi founded the art museum, and last month it announced a policy banning employees from wearing anything with “political messages, slogans, or symbols.” There were three layoffs.

Other Americans have also lost their jobs as a result of their opinions on the Israel-Gaza conflict.

A New York City hospital fired an American Palestinian nurse in May after she referred to Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” while accepting an award. Israel disputes South Africa’s allegations of genocide before the World Court.