GARLAND (WBAP/KLIF News) – A Muslim advocacy group is staging a protest outside of a Dillard’s in Garland over the weekend after a woman claimed she was refused employment due to her hijab.
The Council on American Islamic Relation’s Nikiya Natale said a manager allegedly told the woman she could not wear the hijab to work because it was not part of the company’s dress code.
It’s a situation that Natale said is illegal and unconstitutional.
“There’s a Supreme Court case right on this issue. It’s devastating and it’s hard news for the Muslim community to be discriminated against because of something that is part of their religious belief,” she said
Natale said that since the woman’s story went public, they received another claim of discriminatory practices from a former department manager at the location.
“We had another woman come forward who was a department manager and she also has said that she also had to turn away a qualified applicant because she wears the hijab. She said the store manager allegedly flat out ‘you can not hire people who wear the hijab, it’s not part of the dress code here’,” she said.
CAIR has filed a claim with the Texas Workforce Commission on the woman’s behalf.
Natale said the group will continue to fight for the woman and the Muslim community and she hopes tomorrow’s protest will send a clear message to the company.
“We want to remind Dillard’s that discrimination on the basis of one’s faith is unconstitutional in the workplace. We want to remind them that a “no-hijab policy” is illegal and it’s unconstitutional. Now more than ever we have to stand in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters. We just want to tell them this is not okay and we will not tolerate it,” she said.
The protest is being held Saturday at the Dillard’s on Horseshoe Drive from 12 to 2 p.m.
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