Two students at a Monroeville, Pa. high school were asked to remove, then allowed to wear their kufiyyehs – traditional Arab scarves worn increasingly in the U.S. as cultural, political or fashion statements – last week after fellow students complained the garments signified support for terrorism.

Pittsburgh’s CBS news affiliate KDKA reported that the issue was resolved after Muslim parents and students, school officials and members of the Jewish community engaged in heavy dialogue.

“It’s a situation that sort of escalated and a small thing got out of control and we want to try to bring peace to both sides on this,” Gateway School District Director of Communications Cara Zanella told KDKA reporters.

Student Mohammad Al-Abbasi said he was angered by the association of his culture with terrorism and explained what the scarves actually meant to him.

“It signifies Arab culture and not necessarily anything political,” he said.

Zanella said school officials heard all sides of the story at a meeting and decided to allow students to wear the scarves.

“We have a lot of diversity in Gateway and we are extremely proud of that. But we want all students to feel safe here no matter what their backgrounds are. We are working very hard to communicate with the parents and the community groups involved so that they understand we are trying to get a resolution,” said Zanella.
The incident is among several over the past year in which the wearing of kufiyyehs has been protested as a symbol of terrorism, an association the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and other civil rights groups have called racist.