Posted on 08/15/2012 5:15:16 AM PDT by SJackson
"The Constitution tells me I can be Muslim, and I can wear the head scarf. Who is Disney to tell me I cannot?" A private company with a dress code that it is (at least so far) still free to implement. But the point of this case is to reinforce the principle that wherever Islamic law and American law and practice conflict, it is American law and practice that must give way.
"Muslim Employee Suing Disney Over Right to Wear Hijab," from KTLA, August 13 (thanks to Pamela Geller):
LOS ANGELES (KTLA) -- A Muslim woman who worked as a hostess at a Disneyland restaurant is suing Disney, claiming the company wouldn't let her appear in front of guests while wearing her headscarf. It's a dispute that's been going on for about two years, but now the American Civil Liberties Union is getting involved.
It all started in August 2010 when Imane Boudlal, a Morocco-born U.S. citizen, worked at the Storyteller Cafe in Disney's Grand California Hotel.
Boudlal wears a headscarf, or hijab, but Disney said the garment didn't comply with its strict dress code.
Disney offered up a compromise hat for her to wear, but Boudlal said it made her look like a joke.
"The hat makes a joke of my religion and draws even more attention to me," Boudlal told KTLA at the time.
"It's unacceptable. They don't want me to look Muslim. They just don't want the head covering to look like a hijab."
And her point is that she wants to look Muslim. She wants to force Disney into featuring Muslims and showcasing the Muslim presence there. Disney doesn't want people to look like adherents of any particular religion -- they want people to get into the spirit of fun and fantasy that their games and rides and shows represent. But for Islam all must give way.
Boudlal had worked at the resort for two and a half years, but only realized she could wear her hijab to work after studying for her U.S. citizenship exam. She became a citizen in June 2010, and decided to challenge the Disney dress code a couple months later, on August 15.
When she wore her headscarf to work, Boudlal says she was told to take it off, work in the back where customers couldn't see her or go home.
She chose to go home, but reported to work for the next two days and was told the same thing.
Boudlal subsequently filed a complaint against Disney with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission..
In a prepared statement, Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown said the company "values diversity and has a long-standing policy against discrimination of any kind."
"Typically, somebody in an on-stage position like hers wouldn't wear something like that, that's not part of the costume," Brown said.
"We were trying to accommodate her with a backstage position that would allow her to work. We gave her a couple of different options and she chose not to take those."
But Boudlal maintains that wearing a headscarf is her constitutional right.
"My scarf doesn't do anything to harm Disney or the guests," she told KTLA.
"The Constitution tells me I can be Muslim, and I can wear the head scarf. Who is Disney to tell me I cannot?"
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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Disney's compromise hat
Coverage from the ACLU here . Their point is she could be Princess Jasmine.
After all, who is Disney to tell employees they can't play a character of choice.
The Disney Marketing Dept better start working on a new slogan.
This is why Islam is incompatible with western civilization and must be nipped in the bud. This is the stinking camel's nose under the tent.
If she really wants to live under Islamic law, she shouldn’t even be working. She should be at home and only go outside with a male companion. And she should be beaten for having a picture taken without being in a burqua.
Frightening picture. When are the psychiatrists going to comment on this picture?
No wonder the kids grow up to be monsters.
Maker her work out of the public eye and wear it.
Make her work out of the public eye and wear it.
Disney, please do not cave in, if you do I will no longer patronize your theme parks, I will no longer pay to see your movies and I will visit all the internet discussion groups from Mouseplanet to WDW Magic trolling against anything positive about Disney.
I did a similar attack against Eisner back then, and we know the results, so lets just agree that you don’t want Islam involved with Disney operations. You will have more support like Chick Fil A by making a stand against Islam.
“The Constitution tells me I can be Muslim, and I can wear the head scarf. Who is Disney to tell me I cannot?”
... your employer. Uniforms are common and are not directed to debase your religious beliefs, hence the “reasonable accomodation” of the compromise hat. The wage you earn is not free, it is traded for the value of your services. In return for the wage, you cease to pursue your own priorities for the objectives of the larger entity who - in this instance - has a proven record for being a profitable enterprise in the business of front-line entertainment.Some of the income is used to pay your wages. During your hours on duty, you are expected to put yourself second because YOUR system is not tested, not profitable, and not viable, and you have taken no risk whatsoever to establish your version of Disney - although you a FREE to try. Put on the hat and do your job. Same goes for those with a face piercings, tattoos, neck rings, sharpened teeth: There are more suitable employers for these folks.
I can’t resist...
I suppose she will be the first member of “The Mosque-teer Club”
(audible groan)
(apologies)
The one upside to this is that the lawyers the House of Mouse uses make sharks look friendly and harmless. There’s quite a bit of caselaw already in place that says individual businesses are within their own rights to demand a particular dress code or provide alternative positions for those who cannot comply in a specialized role. Those lawyers are going to render this woman’s case down like month-old roadkill going through a disposal shredder.
I have an idea... put this Muslim woman in the animated exhibit of the “It’s a Small World” attraction. It’s a classic, and she can dress the part! Boring work, but at least it allows her to dress in her traditional manner.
I find it fascinating that so many women have accepted a faith that treats them like cattle.
Gotta admit, Disney’s ‘compromise’ hat looks pretty stupid. Hope she doesn’t get this case in front of a jury.
Some have had a choice, others have not.
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