UK: A Muslim woman, in the U.K. is set to sue her former employers over remarks telling her to remove her black headscarf because the garment had “terrorist affiliations”.
The woman who was working as an estate agent with Harvey Dean in Bury for almost a year was the only Muslim woman in the office. She said that the managers told her “that it would be in the best interest of the business for her to change the color of her hijab, due to the supposed terrorist affiliation with the color black.”
Her colleague also said that the white and non-Muslim community around company’s office would feel “intimidated and scared” at her sight.
However, the woman refused to change her attire and again in a phone call and a meeting held the following day with the male manager, they had allegedly brought coloured hijabs into the office for her to change.
Later the manager accused her of not working, although she was on her lunch break at the time, and then swore at her while telling her to leave the office.
The woman accuses the managers of creating an “intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating and offensive environment” that discriminated against her on the basis of her religion and gender.
The case will be reviewed at the Manchester Employment Tribunal on July 20 and may result in Harvey Dean paying “aggravated damages”.
The claimant said. “What is of primary importance to me over and above anything is that this serves as a warning to employers that such pressure upon employees is absolutely and categorically unacceptable based upon illogical ideas with no evidence.”
“Young Muslim women, whether they attend schools, colleges or work in professional environments, should never have to feel that they have to compromise their religious beliefs or water down their Muslim identity for fear of intimidating people of other or no faith.”