TOAO
08-24-2010, 12:02 PM
Personally, I think she's doing her best to be difficult
Muslim employee rejects Disney’s hat alternative
http://ocresort.ocregister.com/files/2010/08/Hijab-double-cropped.jpg
Imane Boudlal shows her personal head scarf on left. In the right, she wears Disney's headwear. She asked that her face be blurred out. Photo courtesy of Unite Here Local 11
A Muslim employee is refusing to wear a hat and bonnet that Disney provided in place of a head scarf, which she wants to leave on at work for religious reasons. (Story updated at 6:01 p.m.)
Imane Boudlal, a restaurant hostess at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, last week in a press conference accused Disney of religious discrimination for refusing to let her wear a hijab, a head scarf, in public view. See a previous story about the Muslim Disney employee.
On Saturday, Disney offered Boudlal a bonnet with a hat to wear at work in public. She asked for changes, Disney said, and a modified version was offered Monday. Some Muslim women wear head scarves over their hair and necks as a form of modesty.
Boudlal rejected the new headwear and went home for a seventh time, according to the hotel workers’ union, Unite Here Local 11. Disney has offered to let her work behind the scenes with the head scarf, but Boudlal has refused.
The union released a photo of Boudlal in the alternative costume; Boudlal asked that her face be blurred out because she’s embarrassed by it, said Leigh Shelton, a union spokeswoman.
“The hat makes a joke of me and my religion, and draws even more attention to me,” Boudlal said in a prepared statement. “It’s unacceptable.”
Suzi Brown, a Disneyland Resort spokeswoman, said the company offered her four different jobs that would allow her to wear her own head scarf.
“We met with Ms. Boudlal on Saturday and presented her with several options,’’ Brown said in a statement. “She asked that the costume be altered. Those alterations were made and a modified costume was presented to her that meets our costuming guidelines and which we believe provides an accommodation of her religious beliefs.
“We also provided four different roles that she could transition to that would allow her to wear her own hijab,’’ Brown said. “She has twice chosen to reject all of the options that we’ve presented.’’
Three of the jobs were working on a telephone; the fourth was helping make baked goods.
Boudlal could not immediately be reached for further comment. Her attorney also could not be reached.
Some Muslim women opt to wear head scarves over their hair and necks as a form of modesty.
Boudlal first reported to work with a hijab last week. Disney assigned Boudlal to work in a back room so she could wear the head scarf while the company worked on an solution. Boudlal decided to go home instead without pay.
She said she filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A copy of the complaint has yet to be released and the commission declined to confirm the receipt of a complaint.
“They don’t want me to look Muslim,” Boudlal said in the prepared statement. “They just don’t want the head covering to look like a hijab.”
UPDATE: Council on American-Islamic Relations is supporting Boudlal’s actions.
“Disney’s treating the hijab as a mere piece of clothing that must be downplayed or hidden from guests’ view is unreasonable and discriminatory,” said Affad Shaikh, the council’s civil rights manager, in a prepared statement. “Disney should be able to accommodate Ms. Boudlal’s request to wear a hijab (even if it’s a substitute hijab that Disney insists she wear) in a manner that preserves her Muslim identity as well as her human dignity. The onus is on Disney to say that her wearing a scarf in her current position would be burdensome for them.”
Federal law requires employers to give “reasonable accommodations” to workers so they can practice their religion, as long as it doesn’t create an “undue hardship,” such as safety problems.
Disney is known for its strict dress code, called the Disney Look. In other cases for religious reasons, Disney has offered accommodations, such as longer skirt hems, skirts instead of pants, and hats as substitutes for religious head wear. See a full story about federal cases regarding religious attire.
“Disney is an entertainment company,” Brown said in a statement. “Our theme parks and resorts are the stage and our costumed cast members (employees) are an important part of the show. When cast members are hired, regardless of their diverse beliefs, the expectation to comply with our appearance guidelines is made abundantly clear.”
In 2004, Disney World in Florida was sued by a female Muslim employee who wanted to wear a head scarf to work. The case was settled out of court and the terms were confidential.
Muslim employee rejects Disney’s hat alternative
http://ocresort.ocregister.com/files/2010/08/Hijab-double-cropped.jpg
Imane Boudlal shows her personal head scarf on left. In the right, she wears Disney's headwear. She asked that her face be blurred out. Photo courtesy of Unite Here Local 11
A Muslim employee is refusing to wear a hat and bonnet that Disney provided in place of a head scarf, which she wants to leave on at work for religious reasons. (Story updated at 6:01 p.m.)
Imane Boudlal, a restaurant hostess at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, last week in a press conference accused Disney of religious discrimination for refusing to let her wear a hijab, a head scarf, in public view. See a previous story about the Muslim Disney employee.
On Saturday, Disney offered Boudlal a bonnet with a hat to wear at work in public. She asked for changes, Disney said, and a modified version was offered Monday. Some Muslim women wear head scarves over their hair and necks as a form of modesty.
Boudlal rejected the new headwear and went home for a seventh time, according to the hotel workers’ union, Unite Here Local 11. Disney has offered to let her work behind the scenes with the head scarf, but Boudlal has refused.
The union released a photo of Boudlal in the alternative costume; Boudlal asked that her face be blurred out because she’s embarrassed by it, said Leigh Shelton, a union spokeswoman.
“The hat makes a joke of me and my religion, and draws even more attention to me,” Boudlal said in a prepared statement. “It’s unacceptable.”
Suzi Brown, a Disneyland Resort spokeswoman, said the company offered her four different jobs that would allow her to wear her own head scarf.
“We met with Ms. Boudlal on Saturday and presented her with several options,’’ Brown said in a statement. “She asked that the costume be altered. Those alterations were made and a modified costume was presented to her that meets our costuming guidelines and which we believe provides an accommodation of her religious beliefs.
“We also provided four different roles that she could transition to that would allow her to wear her own hijab,’’ Brown said. “She has twice chosen to reject all of the options that we’ve presented.’’
Three of the jobs were working on a telephone; the fourth was helping make baked goods.
Boudlal could not immediately be reached for further comment. Her attorney also could not be reached.
Some Muslim women opt to wear head scarves over their hair and necks as a form of modesty.
Boudlal first reported to work with a hijab last week. Disney assigned Boudlal to work in a back room so she could wear the head scarf while the company worked on an solution. Boudlal decided to go home instead without pay.
She said she filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A copy of the complaint has yet to be released and the commission declined to confirm the receipt of a complaint.
“They don’t want me to look Muslim,” Boudlal said in the prepared statement. “They just don’t want the head covering to look like a hijab.”
UPDATE: Council on American-Islamic Relations is supporting Boudlal’s actions.
“Disney’s treating the hijab as a mere piece of clothing that must be downplayed or hidden from guests’ view is unreasonable and discriminatory,” said Affad Shaikh, the council’s civil rights manager, in a prepared statement. “Disney should be able to accommodate Ms. Boudlal’s request to wear a hijab (even if it’s a substitute hijab that Disney insists she wear) in a manner that preserves her Muslim identity as well as her human dignity. The onus is on Disney to say that her wearing a scarf in her current position would be burdensome for them.”
Federal law requires employers to give “reasonable accommodations” to workers so they can practice their religion, as long as it doesn’t create an “undue hardship,” such as safety problems.
Disney is known for its strict dress code, called the Disney Look. In other cases for religious reasons, Disney has offered accommodations, such as longer skirt hems, skirts instead of pants, and hats as substitutes for religious head wear. See a full story about federal cases regarding religious attire.
“Disney is an entertainment company,” Brown said in a statement. “Our theme parks and resorts are the stage and our costumed cast members (employees) are an important part of the show. When cast members are hired, regardless of their diverse beliefs, the expectation to comply with our appearance guidelines is made abundantly clear.”
In 2004, Disney World in Florida was sued by a female Muslim employee who wanted to wear a head scarf to work. The case was settled out of court and the terms were confidential.