(ANAHEIM, CA, 4/26/16) – The Greater Los Angeles office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) is deeply concerned that a group of Muslim women were kicked out of Urth Caffe while they were still eating.
On Friday evening April 22nd, Sara Farsakh and a group of her female friends who wear a hijab in accordance with their religious belief were at the Laguna Beach outpost of Urth Caffe. The group had just received their desserts when an employee informed them that per Urth policy, they must vacate the restaurant within the next 10 minutes.
SEE: Claim: Urth Caffe in Laguna Beach Kicks out Muslim Women cause Muslim | OC Weekly
SEE: Woman Allegedly Gets Thrown out of Urth Cafe for being Muslim | Next Shark
The group inquired about the policy and was informed that patrons must give up or share their table after 45 minutes if the restaurant is busy. They were taken aback because the café was not busy, there were plenty of seats available both inside and outside the restaurant and several patrons who had arrived before the group had not been asked to leave.
In fact two different groups approached the Muslim patrons and informed them that they had arrived before them and had not been asked to leave. One of the groups indicated they had been in the restaurant for the last four hours.
Contrary to the statements made by Urth caffé, a video taken by the Muslim patrons shows that there were seats available both inside and outside of the restaurant.
The video has gone viral, receiving over 260,000 views since Sara Farsakh posted it to Facebook on Saturday.
The group requested to speak with a manager or owner, but an employee informed them that the owner was aware of the situation. Soon thereafter, the police arrived at the scene and escorted the guests off the property.
The Muslim patrons are currently contemplating their legal options and will make a decision with how to proceed in the coming days.
"CAIR-LA is investigating the matter and is very concerned about the possible biased motive involved in this incident in wake of recent events in which Muslims were kicked off a plane or refused service simply for allegedly being Muslim," said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush. "No customer should have to face the humiliation of being kicked out or refused service if they are compliant with the business' policies. Public spaces, such as restaurants, are prohibited from applying a business policy that denies access to services in a discriminatory manner."
American Muslims have reported a number of incidents of alleged airport profiling and businesses refusing service to Muslims in recent months.
SEE: Arabic-Speaking student kicked off Southwest Flight | CNN
SEE: Muslim Family Kicked Off United Airlines Flight
SEE: CAIR to Seek DOJ Probe of 'Muslim Free Zone' Businesses in Florida, New Hampshire
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
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CONTACT: CAIR-LA Communications Coordinator Ojaala Ahmad, (714) 776-1847, oahmad@cair.com