Two Muslim women said they were denied jobs at a McDonald's restaurant in Dearborn because they wore Islamic headscarves

Two Muslim women said they were denied jobs at a McDonald's restaurant in Dearborn because they wore Islamic headscarves, according to a discrimination lawsuit filed today in Wayne County Circuit Court.


Toi Whitfield, 20, of Detroit, and Quiana Pugh, 25, of Dearborn, said they applied for jobs at the McDonald's on Ford Road in the eastern section of Dearborn, but were told by the store manager "you're not going to work here if you don't remove" the headscarf, known as hijab. According to the women, he also said he couldn't "really hire you due to your scarf."


A spokeswoman for McDonald's did not immediately comment on the lawsuit, but said a statement would be coming soon.


The Dearborn restaurant happens to be one of only two stores in the U.S. that sells Chicken McNuggets that are halal, the Muslim equivalent of kosher.


Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations, said that it's upsetting that a restaurant with such a large Muslim customer base would discriminate against Muslim women employees.


"They'll take Muslim dollars, but won't hire Muslim female employees," Walid said.


The case was filed in Detroit against the store manager, a management company, and McDonald's. It alleges the restaurant violated a state civil rights law.


The store is located in an area with one of the largest Arab-American and Muslim communities in the U.S.


Walid said the two Muslim women were African-Americans born in the United States.

[link to www.freep.com]