Muslims worry proposed change to anti-Klan law targets them

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Advocates say a Georgia lawmaker appears to target Muslim women with proposed changes to a 1951 state law passed to stop the Ku Klux Klan from wearing masks at public rallies.

Muslim-American groups and the American Civil Liberties Union are condemning the proposal by Republican state Rep. Jason Spencer as a veiled attempt to ban Muslim women from wearing scarves and other religious headgear to cover their faces in public.

Spencer says he's not targeting any specific group. His bill doesn't mention Islam or religious garments, though it does explicitly note the anti-Klan law would apply to women.

Even if it passed, Spencer's bill likely wouldn't affect Muslim women. The Georgia Supreme Court has ruled the 1951 law applies only to masks worn for the purpose of intimidating others.