[ti:US Lawmakers Seek to Permit Religious Head Coverings in Congress] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.01]For almost 200 years, the House of Representatives [00:05.15]– part of the United States Congress [00:07.47]– has barred lawmakers from wearing hats. [00:12.51]But this year, voters in Minnesota [00:15.90]elected Ilhan Omar to represent them in the House. [00:20.29]Omar, who was born in Somalia and is Muslim, [00:24.65]wears a scarf that covers her head. [00:28.39]In answer, some political leaders are calling for a change to the rules [00:33.99]so that lawmakers can wear religious headwear during official meetings. [00:40.63]The proposed change would enable Omar [00:44.23] to wear a headscarf on the House floor. [00:47.43]It would also permit lawmakers [00:50.24] to wear other kinds of religious headwear, such as kippahs. [00:55.03]But it is unclear whether any current lawmaker would do so. [01:00.74]The reason for the ban on hats is mostly related to ideas about respectful behavior. [01:08.98]Currently, the rule appears alongside bans on smoking [01:14.14]or using small computers, such as iPhones, [01:18.83]while lawmakers are meeting publicly. [01:21.75]But Democratic Party lawmakers [01:25.24]have suggested a proposal to permit religious headwear. [01:30.00]Nancy Pelosi and Jim McGovern were two of the writers of the proposal. [01:36.20]They noted to NBC News that this year, [01:40.37]voters had elected the most diverse Congress in history. [01:45.85]McGovern added the amended headwear rule would permit lawmakers [01:51.92] to do their jobs, regardless of their religious beliefs. [01:56.42]The Washington Post newspaper notes that the headwear proposal [02:01.95]also denounces some of the anti-Muslim language heard in several election campaigns. [02:10.21]The Post added, "It is also notable coming at a time [02:15.74]when several U.S. allies in Europe are adopting countrywide bans on face veils." [02:24.47]I'm Kelly Jean Kelly. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM