Muslim worker demands to wear head scarf with costume

[Heracles 417]

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?

So excluding your mother country, the rest of Europe is bigoted too now are they?

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.

I am all for diversity. When I travel to Muslim or Arabic nations, I respect their rules and culture. I certainly would never move there and demand they cater for me; expect them to change their existing way of life to cater for my beliefs and needs. That is not tolerance, that would be me disregarding the status-quo and shoving my beliefs and views down their throats.

Edited August 20, 2010 by Heracles

[Peikko 1,575]

So excluding your mother country, the rest of Europe is bigoted too now are they?

I am all for diversity. When I travel to Muslim or Arabic nations, I respect their rules and culture. I certainly would never move there and demand they cater for me; expect them to change their existing way of life to cater for my beliefs and needs. That is not tolerance, that would be me disregarding the status-quo and shoving my beliefs and views down their throats.

Not as far as I know, no. However, pray tell, on what do you base that particular assertion?

[Peikko 1,575]

FYI muslims do not move to the west and demand the west caters to them. All they require and expect from the nation that promises tolerance and acceptance is just that, tolerance and acceptance, which includes not discriminating against those who do not share christian beliefs, be they muslim, hindu, atheist, bhudist or whatever. Every time you open your big mouth and suggest that diversity is fine as long as it occurs some place else is yet another nail in your bigotry coffin, just a fyi

[Fandango 1,439]

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.

Degrading? No. It's not part of the uniform, end of story. I'd say the same if it was a Catholic woman wanting to wear one of those old school doilies on her head, or a Jewish man wanting to wear a yarmulke. It's not part of the costume, sheesh....Disney even monitors the jewelry people wear...obviously they are very intent on keeping their costumes 'uniform'. This girl needs to stop feeling so entitled, and do the job she was hired to do, or change jobs if she doesn't want to compromise.

This is not a Rosa Parks moment here, nothing to see but grandstanding, imo.

[nab 74]

The confusion may relate to the fact that Disney refers to *all* of its staff as "Cast Members" and considers anything in public view to be "on stage". They have very, very strict rules around how people behave "on stage" and have a number of policies enforced to maintain their image (for instance, there are NEVER 2 instances of the same character "on stage" even if they're at opposite ends of the park.... just in case.

I wonder if Google adwords has a way to get this thread set up so that I could get a nickel every time someone threw out the word "bigot"? Hal and Sandoinista would be contributing mightily to my happy hour fund.

thank you for the clarification, i wasnt aware of "disney terms", so it was confusing!

I haven't read the entirety of this thread, but I have been following the story. I find the womans outrage about not being allowed to wear a hijab to be disingenuous. Why now? She is an adult with a family and has never felt the compunction to wear one in the past. As to whether or not she is allowed to wear it, I suppose a lot of that is dependant upon her employment contract. If she signed a contract that delineated a strict dress code, then she has to abide by her contract, or suffer the consequences.

many people in their lifetime evolve in their religion, some grow closer and some fall away so i disagree with your statement because it sounds like you are saying because she didnt wear in past she shouldnt wear now.

i would agree that because she has not worn at work she cannot expect them to just accept this change and she is blessed they gave her opportunity to continue working when it obviously is against their policy to modify the costume. she SHOULD have been willing to compromise IMHO

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.

while i agree with you it's for publicity (someone who is not willing to compromise with her employer but instead calls media), i am puzzled by your ramadan comment... you DO know what ramadan is? if not do a net search and read a little...

ramadan is for the entire 9th month of the islamic calendar and we are just a little over a week into it.

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

while i dont always agree with slim (you remind me waaaay too much of an ex = and an ex is an ex for a REASON, or many reasons in my case LOL) this made me chuckle i am muslim and wear hijab and thought this was humorous... but maybe that's because i wear an invisible tiara at all times anyway, lighten up people

Edited August 20, 2010 by nab

[nab 74]

'She discovered a need' - how charming you are. Danno, you are a man of faith, does your faith remain exactly the same on all issues at all times? In my experience, faith is NOT a constant, it evolves and changes and there is nothing new or unusual about a young person changing their opinion about what is intrinsic to their belief and what isn't. You are not the arbiter of her sincerity, nor are you the arbiter on where the line is regarding what religious practices break the laws on discrimination. Your adamant refusal to even contemplate a change in that direction does betray your discomfort with a particular faith, no matter if you do have more in common with them than you do with me - as if I care - just to be clear, I don't.

ameen

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....ijab-scarf.html

(and snipped from another post)

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.

thanks for the link!

and i agree with you on that

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

yep, sgt. mcgee clarified that when i asked but thanks again

(snipped out pictures for brevity)

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

bwahahahaha laughed my behind off on that one!

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.

while i agree you dont walk into someone else's home and demand changes there is a problem wiht your thinking... if an immigrant comes to america, makes this their home, how are they trying to change someone else's home?

Edited August 20, 2010 by nab

[thongd4me 69]

Let's step away from the OP's example and give another one

where there is an actor with a specific role to play.

Stanley Kowalski - in "Streetcar Named Desire"

If, for example, one of the best actors for the part of Stanley happens

to be a Sikh who won't take off his turban, you have one of two choices.

1) Get another actor because the play is set in New Orleans and the part is written for a "Marlon Brando" type.

Otherwise, the play won't work. No way, no how.

2) Re-write the whole play to take place in India and have all the supporting actors played by Indian (sub-continent) actors.

In the case of the Disney "cast member," it's all about the Disney characters

and NOT about the individuality of the actors that play them.

Could the Muslim cast member wear her scarf to and from work? Of course.

In order to perform her job effectively does she have to take it off?

Yep.

[HAL 9000 96]

Life's too short to drink bad beer. Except after a hockey game, when Miller Lite does just fine. Or maybe when someone else is paying...

MGD if its a sporting event... that lite colored water... should be declared unconstitutional except for medical reasons.

[Peikko 1,575]

Let's step away from the OP's example and give another one

where there is an actor with a specific role to play.

Stanley Kowalski - in "Streetcar Named Desire"

If, for example, one of the best actors for the part of Stanley happens

to be a Sikh who won't take off his turban, you have one of two choices.

1) Get another actor because the play is set in New Orleans and the part is written for a "Marlon Brando" type.

Otherwise, the play won't work. No way, no how.

2) Re-write the whole play to take place in India and have all the supporting actors played by Indian (sub-continent) actors.

In the case of the Disney "cast member," it's all about the Disney characters

and NOT about the individuality of the actors that play them.

Could the Muslim cast member wear her scarf to and from work? Of course.

In order to perform her job effectively does she have to take it off?

Yep.

You need to widen your artistic horizons. This play has been cast with an all black cast recently. Does that offend you?

Correction, it was 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'. Principal is still the same though, many times directors challenge our percieved understanding of art with new and potentially threatening interpretations - that's the point of art.

Edited August 20, 2010 by Madame Cleo

[nab 74]

Let's step away from the OP's example and give another one

where there is an actor with a specific role to play.

Stanley Kowalski - in "Streetcar Named Desire"

If, for example, one of the best actors for the part of Stanley happens

to be a Sikh who won't take off his turban, you have one of two choices.

1) Get another actor because the play is set in New Orleans and the part is written for a "Marlon Brando" type.

Otherwise, the play won't work. No way, no how.

2) Re-write the whole play to take place in India and have all the supporting actors played by Indian (sub-continent) actors.

In the case of the Disney "cast member," it's all about the Disney characters

and NOT about the individuality of the actors that play them.

Could the Muslim cast member wear her scarf to and from work? Of course.

In order to perform her job effectively does she have to take it off?

Yep.

as a restaurant hostess she is not on in a play on stage, she is seating people.

you wouldnt ask any woman to remove her blouse to do her job as a restaurant hostess and you shouldnt ask a muslim woman to remove her hijab. you offer her a different job so she can keep her modesty (or as disney did: a different job till her modified costume is ready).

i just disagree with the way in which she has handled this situation. very unclassy and uncompromising.

so clarify for me, how she cannot seat people if she is wearing hijab?

Edited August 20, 2010 by nab

[thongd4me 69]

You need to widen your artistic horizons. This play has been cast with an all black cast recently. Does that offend you?

You just skipped over the part where I suggested an all-Indian cast.

Some of the finest theater I have seen have had all-Black casts (watch your capitalization dear).

Tra-la tra-la, skip, skip skip.

as a restaurant hostess she is not on in a play on stage, she is seating people.

you wouldnt ask any woman to remove her blouse to do her job as a restaurant hostess and you shouldnt ask a muslim woman to remove her hijab. you offer her a different job so she can keep her modesty (or as disney did: a different job till her modified costume is ready).

i just disagree with the way in which she has handled this situation. very unclassy and uncompromising.

If Disney says she's a cast member she's a cast member.

Read the fine print.

[KaiserD 12]

I might be subscribing to some ignorance here but don't Hooters workers have to dress a certain way? I can't see them allowing much diversity in dress religious or not. Or perhaps they have some modest version of outfit I'm not aware of lol

Then apart from one is a family setting and one is not they're both American workplaces.

Edited August 20, 2010 by KaiserD

[Peikko 1,575]

You just skipped over the part where I suggested an all-Indian cast.

Some of the finest theater I have seen have had all-Black casts (watch your capitalization dear).

Tra-la tra-la, skip, skip skip.

If Disney says she's a cast member she's a cast member.

Read the fine print.

I did not 'skip over it'. I suggested that your notion that a play must be interpreted in a particular way was ridiculous - it still is. Suggesting that a Sikh turbaned man would only be acceptable within certain parameters when art is all about challenging perceptions is quite the most absurd thing I have ever read.

[sandinista! 1,816]

You just skipped over the part where I suggested an all-Indian cast.

Some of the finest theater I have seen have had all-Black casts (watch your capitalization dear).

Tra-la tra-la, skip, skip skip.

If Disney says she's a cast member she's a cast member.

Read the fine print.

she never said she wasn't a cast member. she (and i as well) want to know how her scarf interferes from leading someone to an open booth and passing out menus to guests and crayons to their kids.

[nab 74]

I might be subscribing to some ignorance here but don't Hooters workers have to dress a certain way? I can't see them allowing much diversity in dress religious or not. Or perhaps they have some modest version of outfit I'm not aware of lol

Then apart from one is a family setting and one is not they're both American workplaces.

show me ANY practicing muslim woman who wants to work as a server at Hooters, THEN we will discuss your absurb scenario