PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A Muslim firefighter who refuses to shave his beard on religious grounds cannot be fired while his legal case unfolds, a city judge ruled in a test of the state's religious freedom law.
The Philadelphia Fire Department, like most big-city departments, prohibits beards and mustaches, citing safety reasons. Facial hair, the department says, can prevent firefighters from getting a seal when they wear respirators.
Firefighter Curtis De Veaux agreed to shave when he joined the department two years ago. But as his faith deepened, he decided he was no longer willing to, he said Wednesday.
De Veaux also said he has a skin condition that makes it painful to shave. He added that he can get a proper seal on a respirator despite his beard.
Mary Catherine Roper, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer representing De Veaux, said Friday's ruling means her client must be allowed to work and get paid while the case continues.
De Veaux, 25, was suspended without pay Feb. 2 and told he would be fired.
The three-year-old Pennsylvania Religious Freedom Protection Act allows people to challenge laws that interfere with the practice of religion. Similar laws were passed in other states after a federal religious freedom law was overturned in 1997.
Anne Barden, a city solicitor handling the case, did not immediately return a telephone message Wednesday. In court documents, she said the city has a legitimate need to enforce the beard ban.
