Posted on 02/02/2012 5:51:53 AM PST by SoFloFreeper
A South Florida Muslim woman has hired a lawyer after claiming she was refused service at a Boca Raton gas station because of her religion.
La Fleur Mohamed said she was humiliated in the incident at a Chevron gas station.
Very painful, very painful -- (I) felt really embarrassed," she said.
Mohamed said the attendant refused to let her fill up because she wears niqab, or face veil, because of her religion. She claimed the attendant threw the money back at her and told her to leave.
“I said, ‘Excuse me, but this is my religious right.’ She said, ‘Well, I need to see you.’ I said, ‘No, you don’t. Please just give me $20 on pump No. 1,’ and that’s when she just threw my money back at me,” Mohamed said.
Mohamed called 911 and a police officer showed up, but the attendant wouldn’t change her mind.
“He went in and asked her why she’s not serving me, and she said that it’s company policy not to serve people like me,” Mohamed said.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office records state Mohamed did not have enough gas to get to another station.
Dispatch also told arriving deputies, "They are refusing to give her gas because of her religion."
Mohamed said Chevron officials apologized but claimed they found no evidence of discrimination, and she hired a lawyer, Wilfredo Ruiz.
“In this particular case, when somebody’s escorted by law enforcement and asked to be served and what she hears is a refusal, there’s no doubt that this is a violation of Title 2 of the Civil Rights Act,” Ruiz said.
Mohamed is also taking her complaint to the Florida Commission on Human Relations, a state agency that is now investigating.
“I need people to be aware that we are here. We’re Americans, and we deserve the same right, the same treatment as everyone else,” Mohamed said.
Mohamed said she wants an apology and for Chevron to launch a discrimination training program for employees.
In response, Chevron spokesman Brent Tippen released the following statement:
"Chevron continues to take Ms. Mohamed’s allegations seriously.
"In response to the incident which occurred in October last year, we conducted a thorough investigation. We spoke with our employee cashier and reviewed the store surveillance tape. The incident occurred within a few days of Halloween -- a time when retailers are prone to increased theft from persons wearing masks and other facial coverings. In light of this concern, we acknowledge that our employee did ask Ms. Mohamed to remove her veil for security purposes; when she refused, she was denied service.
"We fully believe that our employee acted without the intent to violate Ms. Mohamed’s religious principles and any suggestion that discrimination is acceptable at Chevron is completely false. Chevron employs 60,000 people from countries across the globe. Our Human Rights policy requires that we treat all people with respect and dignity.
"Regardless, we regret the misunderstanding. We have apologized twice to Ms. Mohamed and encouraged our employees to be more aware of potential diversity issues."
Local 10 asked Tippen, if the employee thought Mohamed was going to steal or that she was dressed for Halloween, how would he explain the attendant refusing to serve Mohamed when the Palm Beach County deputy was there, vouching that Mohamed was a legitimate customer? Tippen responded:
"The cashier was asked by the police officer about the issue. The cashier indicated that she was following publicly posted instructions to ask customers to remove masks or other facial coverings for security camera purposes. This is consistent with Chevron’s focus on safety for both its employees and customers. The officer was only inquiring about the cashier’s decision, not to assist with the transaction.
"Again we acknowledge that this incident was a misunderstanding. It is not our policy to deny service to customers based on their religious dress. Ms. Mohamed would be served if she came into one of our stores tomorrow."
I would have pumped her gas as I had my dog beside me, while I was eating a huge b-b-q pork sandwich, singing a good Christan hymn and my Mommand was a pedophile tee-shirt on.
Why was a muslim female driving? Does her family know?
If I wore a mask over my face, I’m pretty sure I’d get asked to leave a lot of businesses.
—The covering dress code and the veil predates islam and was a cultural custom.—
Precisely.
Sounds like you're a muslim in America - not an American muslim.
You don't want the same rights, you want special rights.
Any business has the right to refuse service for any reason. If you're offended, get over it and drive down the street.
Fast and Furious hearing going on right now.
WATCH LIVE: AG #Holder answers for #FastAndFurious:
http://bit.ly/sa4ZZy via @GOPOversight
Political correctness will only be our undoing ifwe let it.
Private company, can do business with whomever they choose. There is no law that says a company has to do business with everyone. They just wont be in business long. That is why discrimination lawsuits are BS. Unless a company receives public monies, the gubbmint cannot force them to do business with anyone.
This Muslim and others will probably in the future get the “special” halel blend of gas.
The attendant should have said she was following Sharia law AND WAS PROTECTING THE WOMEN’S RELIGION as the women should not have been driving in the first place as it is prohibited by the Muslim Religion.
FLORIDA Chapter 876 Criminal Anarchy, Treason and other
Crimes Against Public Order
876.13 Wearing mask, hood, or other device on public property.—No person or persons shall in this state, while wearing any mask, hood, or device whereby any portion of the face is so hidden, concealed, or covered as to conceal the identity of the wearer, enter upon, or be, or appear upon or within the public property of any municipality or county of the state.
—You don’t want the same rights, you want special rights.—
Not to hijack the thread, but it is the same as my position on gay marriage. They have the exact same rights as everyone else. They can marry any non-sibling of the opposite sex as long as they or the person they wish to marry is not already married.
Completely fair and equal. Problem is, they want to do something completely different and force everyone else to call it “marriage”.
Back to the burka, burqua, or however the heck it’s spelled.
ONLY if they drink it on the premises.
Looks like the gas station has a case and the presence of the police is completely irrelevant to this.
Yep. In fact, in the west the burka seems to be a public statement against integration. To accept it is to accept the destruction of the American way of life.
Amen!!!
—To accept it is to accept the destruction of the American way of life.—
IOW, it is an act of rebellion against US culture and the US in genera. I find it interesting that Turkey is able to ban it. http://www.apologeticsindex.org/504-muslim-veils
“In Turkey, scarves are banned in civic spaces, including schools, universities - state or private - and official buildings.”
Perhaps, but by her own words this woman wasn't wearing the garment because it is traditional, she is wearing because its part of her religion, so it really doesn't matter what arabs did 1800 years ago.
—Private company, can do business with whomever they choose. There is no law that says a company has to do business with everyone. They just wont be in business long. That is why discrimination lawsuits are BS. Unless a company receives public monies, the gubbmint cannot force them to do business with anyone.—
That is patently false. It may be true on paper, but good luck with that in the real world if you can’t show cause for refusing service to someone (they were belligerent, etc.)
The proprietor has the right to refuse service to anyone. Buying gasoline is not a "religious right" as the woman said. (‘Excuse me, but this is my religious right.’ She said)
She also said about the clerk" she said that it’s company policy not to serve people like me,”
I have a feeling that this is a fabrication. I also have a feeling that "Mohammed's Flower" is one of the growing number of American born women who have made the quick and possibly superfluous conversion to Islam for the purpose of recognition and publicity.
It's odd that she says wearing the mask is her "religious RIGHT". Isn't it true that she has no choice in the matter as a Muslim woman?
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