Employee Alleges She Was Fired for Wearing Hijab

A Muslim woman, alleging that she was fired from Hollister Co. for wearing the hijab, a religious headscarf, filed suit in San Francisco on February 26th. Hani Khan was let go from the clothing company owned by Abercrombie & Fitch because her hijab violated the company’s “look policy.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) who filed the complaint with the woman said that the termination violated Title VII because the employer failed to accommodate her religious beliefs.

The hijab has been the center of controversy in Europe and Muslim women in the US say discrimination here is not uncommon. This is not the first complaint against Abercrombie & Fitch over the hijab; the Oklahoma chapter of CAIR filed a complaint against the company with EEOC after a Tulsa teenager was apparently refused employment because of her hijab. In that case, the EEOC filed suit against the company. In 2004 the EEOC charged the company with having discriminatory hiring practices which the company settled for $50 million.

“Fired from Hollister for wearing the hijab?” Christian Science Monitor, 2/26/10. “Muslim goes to feds over head-scarf firing,” San Francisco Chronicle, 2/26/10; http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/26/BALB1C6HR5.DTL