UK Muslim woman sues employer after he claims black hijab has ‘terror affiliations’

DUBAI: A Muslim woman in the UK is suing her former employer after a member of staff allegedly told her to remove her black headscarf over its “terrorist affiliations.”
The woman, a former estate agent, had been working for a company called Harvey Dean in the town of Bury in Greater Manchester when she says her seniors took issue with the color of her hijab.
She does not wish to be named but filed a complaint with the Manchester Employment Tribunal claiming that she was told “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.”
According to the complaint, a colleague allegedly said that the community around the company’s office would “feel intimidated and scared if they saw the claimant,” The Independent reported Thursday.
The woman claims that her manager even brought in colored hijabs for her to wear instead.
The claimant also said she was reprimanded by a male manager for texting her father during her lunch break.
“He then went on a tirade accusing the claimant of not working,” read tribunal documents seen by The Independent.
“The claimant informed him that she was on her lunch break but he told her that he did not care (and) then proceeded to tell her to: ‘Get the f*** out of here.’”
The woman left the office and submitted a letter of resignation a week later.
“I was shocked at what they were asking and the reasons they were giving,” the woman told The Independent.
The filed complaint argues that her treatment created an “intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating and offensive environment.”
The case will be considered at a preliminary hearing at the Manchester Employment Tribunal on July 20.
“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,” the claimant said
“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.”