The Civil Rights Department at CAIR-LA obtained a pre-litigation monetary settlement earlier this month on behalf of a Muslim woman who was fired from her job for refusing to take off her headscarf by her immediate supervisor.
The incident occurred in August 2019 in Los Angeles County near Pasadena. The client informed her supervisor that since she was Muslim, wearing her headscarf was as an expression of her faith and in keeping with her religious practices and sincerely held beliefs. Despite this, the client’s employer told her that she needed prior authorization to wear a religious head covering, and because she did not have it, she either needed to remove her headscarf or leave work.
Because of the hostile work environment this created, the employee felt uncomfortable wearing her headscarf at work any longer. After the employee expressed concern about being forced to choose between her hijab and her employment, she was terminated.
The employee approached CAIR-LA to represent her. After months working the case, CAIR-LA obtained a favorable monetary settlement on her behalf.