Eight years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Americans see Muslims as facing more discrimination inside the U.S. than other major religious groups. Nearly six-in-ten adults (58%) say that Muslims are subject to a lot of discrimination, far more than the Jews, Evangelical Christians, atheists or Mormons.
A Muslim teen in Oklahoma is alleging that a manager at an Oklahoma Abercrombie & Fitch refused to hire her because her head scarf "Didn't fit the chain's image." A Muslim civil rights group has filed a federal complaint on the girl's behalf, citing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which states that an employer must reasonably accommodate employees' religious practices.
If it's any consolation to the under-18 teen, not conforming to the "
Abercrombie image?" Definitely a compliment.
I would gladly eat at a restaurant where the workers ALL wore HEADSCARVES (or hairnets), like in the good old day when people CARED about HYGIENE, especially in food production and serving situations. Might cut down on the number of hairs falling into our food.
"Employers have a clear legal duty to accommodate the religious practices of their workers," said CAIR-OK Executive Director Razi Hashmi. "To deny someone employment because of apparent religious bias goes against long-standing American traditions of tolerance and inclusion."
In a letter to Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jefferies, CAIR-OK asked the company to
1) offer the Muslim applicant a formal apology
2) clarify the company's policy on religious accommodation, and
3) institute workplace sensitivity and diversity training.
Abercrombie and Fitch have a market a certain lifestyle that is not really compatible with the teachings of Islam or Christianity.
"Defendant refused to hire Ms. Elauf because she wears a hijab, claiming that the wearing of headgear was prohibited by its Look Policy, and, further, failed to accommodate her religious beliefs by making an exception to the Look Policy," the lawsuit states.
Elauf went to the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Oklahoma, which helped her file a complaint with the EEOC in Oklahoma City.
The Civil Rights Act protects people from discrimination based upon religion in hiring and in the terms of their employment, an EEOC press release says.
This isn't the first time the store's image policy has been called into question. In 2004, the EEOC waved the Civil Rights Act, saying the retailer had adopted a restrictive marketing image that limited the
hiring of minorities, who did not conform to the image:What are your thoughts on this? Have you ever been discriminated because of your culture?
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Comments (16)
That's funny, I just read an article today that said that ATHEISTS are the most feared and hated group in the USA, not Muslims. That being said, I don't see why some clothing stores shouldn't be allowed to discriminate against people who look a certain way. After all, such stores are all about selling the image they promote. People who look different from rich pampered young hot white girls should just apply somewhere else to work. Again, these stores are all about image. Why would someone want to work in such a shallow-minded place anyway?
Non-Asians can't apply for jobs at some Asian restaurants and stores in NM because it doesn't fit the "image." Other places like Hooters also have similar images when they hire people.
@black_lie@xanga - damn you beat me to it, and said it so eloquently haha =p
eww. wow. that's awful. abercrombie is a bleh brand...
I would never be hired at a clothing store like that, because I'm overweight.
It isn't just religious or cultural minorities that get discriminated against, it's anyone who doesn't fit their exact image.
And I agree with an above comment that atheists are the most feared group, and it's just because we don't wear our religion externally that people don't know to discriminate at first sight.
why is this on tripcrazed?
Ironic how they (people/ the company) discriminate against Muslims for work... BUT, Ambercrombie & Fitch sell their own brand of kifaya/arrifat scarves in that store i PROMISE you, and it wouldn't surprize me if right in the food court there is a middle eastern diner they all frequent on lunch break. Its so disgusting when people tolerate one's culture and style of dress from that culture but throw away the people that come with/are synonymous with it. @MissPixieGlitter@xanga - yeah it DOES seem kinda out of place. The writer could've worded it towards a question like "do you get discriminated against while on vacation" or something to gear it more towards traveler...
@erahslover@xanga - I did not write it with tripcrazed in mind but they wanted to use it. So it was not written "for this site."
@Kristenmomof3@xanga - dually noted. bygones.
I like girls that wear Abercrombie and Fitch
I'd take her if I had one wish ooh la la
In a capitalist society a business should be allowed the freedom to be profitable in any reasonable way. If, however, they don't allow head coverings in their administrative positions, I would say government intervention might be justified. It would be counterproductive not to hire the most qualified person because of a head scarf to work behind the scenes.
On a side note, a head scarf is a choice. One can choose between the scarf and the job. Religion often demands sacrifice of its followers. What it should not be allowed to do is demand sacrifice from the unbelievers. We infidels will pay for our sins in the afterlife so it is not necessary to punish us here on earth.
@black_lie@xanga - @mycontinuity@xanga - Agreed. Stores are not selling just CLOTHES, they are selling an image, and that's just the way it is. Fair? Maybe not. But it's true.
If I could say anything to the girl in this situation, it would be this: If you have a problem going about with your head uncovered because you find it immodest, then a job with Abercrombie is not for you. I mean, this is a place that features hugely blown-up photos of ripped, muscular, bare-naked male torsos, and who created a stir a few years back by publishing a catalog that prominently featured quite a few nude models. If not having your head covered is against your religion's idea of modesty, then as far as I see it, even applying for a job someplace that promotes a style even less-conservative types find risque doesn't make you revolutionary, it makes you a hypocrite. If you're really down with what your religion teaches, then as far as I'm concerned, that manager did you a favor by telling you what you needed to hear.
Look, not every job is for every person. I worked for years as a makeup artist, and, not to toot my own horn, but I'm an attractive woman who looks much younger than her years. I'm not stupid, and I know that having a pretty face and good skin were equally as important in my getting the jobs and opportunities I got as my skills in making others look good were. Not every job is for everyone. I mean, what's next? Swimsuit models with fat thighs? Blind house painters? Playboy centerfolds moonlighting as nuns? There has to be some common sense somewhere.
abercrombie and fitch likes to hire attractive white people. that is their ideal image. it's partly why i don't buy their stuff.
@Beautiful_Disaster_74@xanga - LMAO! Playboy centerfolds moonlighting as nuns XD
PixelDot commented, before I could, but it is true that many outlets have subtle ways of not hiring people who have the right "look." For example, I was a fat teenager. Not an insanely sloppy, gross sort of fat, mind you; I was not morbidly obese, and I was actually still cute, but I did wear a size 16. I certainly don't think that I was so hideous, I would have made people run in the other direction; I was fashion-conscious, proportionate, and a GOOD worker. However, I couldn't work at certain retail outlets (and YES, Abercrombie was one of them!), because they had a policy about how you had to wear the clothing that the store sells, and it's impossible to do that, when you don't fit into it!
This is actually not the first time that I have personally heard of this issue with Abercrombie. I met a girl, at my place of work, who was 6 months pregnant, and 19 years old. She worked at Abercrombie, and said she was getting too big (due to the pregnancy) for Abercromie jeans, and she was afraid that they would find a reason to let her go. Of course, that would have been illegal, also, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
Is it wrong not to hire someone, because they wear a hijab, or a kippah, or something else, which deviates from a desired "look"? Yes, I believe it is, but it does happen. This case got the press, that it did, because the discrimination involved religious freedoms, but the same protections are not extended to people who are too chubby, or whatever.
The idea of employee image being important, in retail, is kind of lame, but it is true. Another commenter cited Hooters. Image is definitely important, there! People claim to go for the wings, or whatever, but let's be honest; the waitresses are a big part of it, and people wouldn't want to see them, in those hotpants, if they were fat or ugly.
On an amusing sidenote, I used to know a girl, in high school, who ended up working a couple different retail jobs, after graduation. First, she worked at Baby Gap. She had light brown hair, and always wore khakis and little cardigan sets. Then when the Baby Gap at our mall closed, she got a job at Hollister, and pretty soon she was blonde with a spray tan. After a few months, I was surprised to see her one day, working at Hot Topic. She had a purple streak in her hair, and a lip piercing! So, I guess image is important, in retail, after all.