Muslim worker demands to wear head scarf with costume

[BobandXiaomei 14]

You probably didn't mean it in this way, but it just reminded me of a pet-peeve of mine.

American is a nationality. Christianity is a religion. Caucasian is a race.

You have no idea how many times I've heard stuff like:

"Is she white?"

"No, she's Muslim"

I stand corrected.

[sandinista! 1,816]

i would hazard a guess on the alamo thing... she previously wore for 2yrs during Ramadan? if the company has always allowed it then now saying no it seems targeted to her specifically and that's a big no-no.

and just for the record, i have never heard the girl in question was a 'restaurant hostess'... in every report i've seen that mentioned what the job is they say she is a cast member 'on stage'. i'm curious where you got the hostess thing, i'd like to read that article, perhaps it has more info.

thanks

A Disneyland Resort restaurant hostess filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Wednesday because she said she is not being allowed to wear her hijab in her current position. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/08/disneyland-hostess-claims-company-wont-let-her-work-with-hijab-scarf.html

Edited August 20, 2010 by sandinista!

[sandinista! 1,816]

Quite with the bigot BS! I would care less if I was renting a car and the gal at the counter was wearing a head scarf. I would care if I went to Disneyland and Mini Mouse was wearing one. As you yourself have said context matters. These two scenarios are distinct. Now if the rental car agency had a specific uniform theme and a head scarf would clash with it I would say the company had a right to demand adherence to the dress code as well. I had to wear a pink shirt for years working at a bakery. Didn't once think it was a violation of my rights it was a condition of my work place uniform dress code.

it's not BS. if you have a problem with the woman who leads you to a restaurant booth and hands you your menu wearing a headscarf, and the scarf is why you have a problem with her, yr a bigot.

minnie mouse is a completely different story. that would constitute an undue hardship on disney, and not qualify them to have to accommodate her. a restaurant hostess doens't meet that burden at all, regardless of them being disney. alamo had their own strict dress code, as well as the newark police dept.

[Staashi 371]

FYI - All Disney employees are referred to as "Cast Members". The "stage" would be the restaurant where she worked. Her uniform is her "costume".

[sandinista! 1,816]

Haven't read all the comments yet, but I find two things interesting:

1 - she worked for Disney for years, this is the first time she's wanted to wear the scarf. Where was her religious values last Ramadan?

2 - if she only wanted to wear it for Ramadan, why is she wearing it in the interview? Methinks it's for publicity's sake.

___________

As an aside, I have a protected right to wear a bikini and say it's because of my religion....I don't have that right to wear it at my office while trying to sell houses.

it may be interesting to you, but the judges ruling in previous cases find it irrelevant. according to the eeoc, "the legal standard dictates that the time of examination of the sincerity of an employee's religious belief is at the time the conflict with the employer arose." what she wore two shifts before she showed up to work in a scarf doesn't matter. she's saying that her beliefs are that she should wear it now, and that's what stands. this belief is protected.

your 2nd question doesn't make any sense. if she only wanted to wear it during ramadan why is she wearing it in the interview? it's ramadan right now. has been for over a week now. and will be for the next three weeks or so. that's why she she's wearing it.

[sandinista! 1,816]

What I want to know is why doesn't she just ask for a transfer to the Princess Jasmine department?

i don't think this would be quite the right fit for her either. she wears a half-shirt, has cleavage, and wears a tiara, not a hijab.

[Heracles 417]

Virginia Beach has a no face covering rule in public to stop gang member activity. A Muslim is now suing because she wants her face covered. So what's next, they will be suing to allow them to enter banks and other buildings with their faces covered?

[sandinista! 1,816]

Oh, one more thing....Disney offered her alternatives...work behind the scenes, implement a hat in the costume....none of that was good enough for her, which tells me this is more about a lawsuit than an actual issue.

the alternatives offered range from insulting, to not comprehending what a hijab entails.

being told to work in the back is degrading. sure, we hire muslims, but God forbid paying customers see that we do, and be confronted by someone in a scarf when they go to eat in a restaurant. past rulings have declared that requesting an employee remove themself from public view because of their religion is not accommodation, it's discrimination.

and a hat doesn't cover the neck, and neck covering is pretty orthodox interpretation of hijab.

[Peikko 1,575]

Virginia Beach has a no face covering rule in public to stop gang member activity. A Muslim is now suing because she wants her face covered. So what's next, they will be suing to allow them to enter banks and other buildings with their faces covered?

There is no 'what's next'. Each case should be judged on its own merit, not on whether someone else might use it as a platform for their own agenda. There are very good reasons why covering the face entirely is unacceptable - those reasons will not disappear if someone is allowed to wear a headscarf and remember, your very own religion actually demands the self same modesty that this woman is symbolizing with her scarf, and indeed many orthodox christians still yet prefer to cover their hair in certain contexts - why do you think ladies wear hats in church?

[The_Dude 1,142]

Virginia Beach has a no face covering rule in public to stop gang member activity. A Muslim is now suing because she wants her face covered. So what's next, they will be suing to allow them to enter banks and other buildings with their faces covered?

I think most cities and stats have some sort of ordinance against covering your face in areas where there are, or it is likely that there will be a large group of people. It is a safety issue.

[sandinista! 1,816]

Virginia Beach has a no face covering rule in public to stop gang member activity. A Muslim is now suing because she wants her face covered. So what's next, they will be suing to allow them to enter banks and other buildings with their faces covered?

i think law enforcement are smart enough to know the difference between these people.

[Heracles 417]

I think most cities and stats have some sort of ordinance against covering your face in areas where there are, or it is likely that there will be a large group of people. It is a safety issue.

Yet people of Muslim beliefs are suing to have this overturned, in order to cater for themselves.

[Heracles 417]

There is no 'what's next'. Each case should be judged on its own merit, not on whether someone else might use it as a platform for their own agenda. There are very good reasons why covering the face entirely is unacceptable - those reasons will not disappear if someone is allowed to wear a headscarf and remember, your very own religion actually demands the self same modesty that this woman is symbolizing with her scarf, and indeed many orthodox christians still yet prefer to cover their hair in certain contexts - why do you think ladies wear hats in church?

Find me a case where they have sued to have a town, city or state, let alone private business change their ways to cater for them.

There is a reason various countries in Europe are now enacting tough legislation against people migrating to their countries, then expecting a country to change their way of life to cater for them. That is not what tolerance is all about. I don't get to come into your house as a guest, then demand changes to your house now do I.

People have had enough of such BS in western countries and are pushing back; which is turning very ugly and resulting in violence.

Edited August 20, 2010 by Heracles

[thongd4me 69]

Find me a case where they have sued to have a town, city or state, let alone private business change their ways to cater for them.

There is a reason various countries in Europe are now enacting tough legislation against people migrating to their countries, then expecting a country to change their way of life to cater for them. That is not what tolerance is all about. I don't get to come into your house as a guest, then demand changes to your house now do I.

People have had enough of such BS in western countries and are pushing back; which is turning very ugly and resulting in violence.

I think diversity is great.

After all, we are here because we are all contributing to the diversity & richness of this great country.

I still believe 100% in this post.

Tolerance is a must, but we can't let the tail wag the dog.

[Peikko 1,575]

Find me a case where they have sued to have a town, city or state, let alone private business change their ways to cater for them.

There is a reason various countries in Europe are now enacting tough legislation against people migrating to their countries, then expecting a country to change their way of life to cater for them. That is not what tolerance is all about. I don't get to come into your house as a guest, then demand changes to your house now do I.

People have had enough of such BS in western countries and are pushing back; which is turning very ugly and resulting in violence.

No one anywhere is trying to ban anyone from wearing headscarves. You do realise that every time you put forward this absurd notion that allowing a religious person to express modesty by the use of a hair covering America or any other nation is on the first step on a slippery slope to cultural annihilation it makes you look bigoted, small minded and frankly silly?

Edited August 20, 2010 by Madame Cleo