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Having grown up in Scarsdale, NY, the town with the highest percentage of Jewish residents outside of Israel (at the time and level of talent of the statisticians involved), I’m very familiar with Yarlmukes. Believe me! Those I’ve heard of referred to as “skullcaps” throughout my life, mostly by my Jewish friends. Having several Sikh co-workers and friends I’m familiar (though not in depth) with the practices of that faith and the various traditions, including for example the traditional requirement to carry a ceremonial dagger, often hidden in the Sikh’s turban (last I heard courts have upheld this tradition as a religious freedom right, BTW).

My mention turbans and Muslims was purely referring to the cliche's related to "towel head" and similar epithets. I understand the difference and have personally been involved in multiple episodes defending Sikh's from anti-Muslim prejudice (no violence, thank God, once we explained the situation).

I also happen to know Mahatma Ghandi's grandson, who set up the Ghandi Center here in Memphis. Through associations that have come from that I've been exposed to a very mixed bag of ethnic and religious traditions.

Being married to a Baha’i I’ve also been on the periphery of Islam and very conscious of it’s traditions and habits (including the tradition of “kill a Baha’i, go to heaven”) for more than 30 years, beyond what I’ve learned separately. I don't remember ever hearing anyone refer to the knit caps that many Muslims wear as "skullcaps." Doesn’t mean they don’t (even in my presence) or that it's not perfectly correct, but I don't remember ever hearing it in 52 years of rather eclectic and cosmopolitan living.

However, that wasn’t the point of my post.

Wikipedia, that well know font of "all things irrefutable," does mention the Muslim Kufi under "skullcap" (second after Yarmulke) though they do qualify it's use as being only "by some Muslims," rather than a wide spread practice. They also talk about the Catholic "Zuchetti" skullcaps (I knew they wore them, but not the name). This all means to me that we're hardly at the "it must be" level of "proof" that this guy wearing something that might be described as a "skullcap" means he can only be a member of the ROP.

The reference in the articles I’ve seen were to a man with a beard and a knit cap. My only point was that based on what I know to be true (which is darn little for all of us at this point) about that term the conclusive declaration of "proof" was premature. I'm not saying it's not so. I'm asking for better information and sources before I make up my mind. I want to make sure I don't start sounding like Harry Reid talking out of his... hat... about what he "knows" to be TRUE.