Again, the essential question in cases like this is, Why would a Muslima want to work at Abercrombie & Fitch in the first place? Wouldn’t she find the clothing line, the advertising, and the whole atmosphere objectionable on moral grounds? Shouldn’t she prefer to shun such an environment rather than want to work there at all, especially if she is pious and observant enough to want to wear the hijab? Unless, of course, the real point of her getting hired in the first place was to compel an American business to change its practices in order to accommodate Islamic norms, and thereby to assert once again that Islam must dominate and not be dominated. And now Samantha Elauf has succeeded.
An update on this story.
“US Muslim Woman Gets $20,000 in Lawsuit Against Discrimination,” from the Ahlul Bayt News Agency, July 21 (thanks to Twostellas):
A federal jury has awarded $20,000 in compensatory damages to a Muslim woman who alleged that Abercrombie & Fitch discriminated against her because she wore a head scarf.
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – The six-member panel deliberated more than four hours Wednesday before deciding on damages against the clothing retailer.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued on behalf of Samantha Elauf, who alleged she was denied a job at an Abercrombie & Fitch store in Tulsa’s Woodland Hills Mall because she wore a hijab. The hijab is part of her religious beliefs.
U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell ruled last week the store violated Elauf’s civil rights when it didn’t hire her.
Store officials denied any discrimination but acknowledged having a policy that bars headwear….