UPDATE: Disney Denies Suspending Woman In Hijab Controversy

ANAHEIM (KTLA)-- A Muslim woman who is fighting for the right to wear her religious scarf to her hostess job at Disneyland has been taken off the schedule.

Disney officials say they stopped putting Imane Boudlal on the schedule during the ongoing issue.

The hotel workers' union claims that Boudlal, a restaurant hostess at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, was suspended without pay.

Disney officials deny that Boudlal was suspended, saying that they stopped putting her on the schedule while the matter is ongoing, said Suzi Brown, a Disneyland Resort spokeswoman.

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Comments

[camus12]

04:25 PM on 10/20/2010

big deal , i america you become rich by sueing people ! but beware of greedy lawyers ...

[Kina3]

06:03 PM on 08/29/2010

I also read that Disney offered her other positions. It's one thing if Disney outright fired her, but it's another if Disney offered her other positions and tried to make reasonable accommodations. Took a law class on what constitutes as religious discrimination, and I'm with Disney.

[Ergon]

05:54 PM on 08/29/2010

I'm with Disney on this one, since it appears they offered a reasonable accomodation. On the other hand, Congress should not have passed a special law to allow them to renew the Mickey Mouse trademark.

[Balzac]

10:30 AM on 08/29/2010

Disney is just enforcing their dress code in this instance. It relates to the role and they offered reasonable accommodation.

I don't discriminate against women wearing hijab. I bought a girl a glass of wine when she was wearing hijab. Then I took her out to dinner the next night. I like to see young women wearing hijab and I will often admire their beauty.

[Balzac]

03:24 PM on 08/29/2010

This song conveys my feelings towards Islamic women. I'm not sure what it means or what the lyrics say, but it captures my feelings:

Ab kya soche kya hona hai (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan)
http://bit.ly/9dwrDe

[pgurlatl]

08:00 AM on 08/29/2010

Black people have been dealing with this kind of thing regarding our hair for decades and we still are.

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0410/727767.html

[RodneyMesriani]

10:57 PM on 08/25/2010

I don't think Disney would suspend Ms. Boudlal, it would completely destroy their family friendly image and even put them at risk for being sued for retaliation. In most of the articles I've read about this incident, Ms. Boudlal has been repeatedly offered other jobs that would allow her to wear her hijab and she refused. Aside from refusing the reasonable accomodation offered by Disney, she also went home on her own and without pay. She basically walked out of work because she couldn't go in wearing the hijab. Yes, I do understand how important it is to respect religion in the workplace as well as other people's differences -- the real problem is how people respond to accommodation, whether or not it would be considered reasonable.

http://www.articlebliss.com/Art/328811/252/Religion-Disparity.html

[Giverny]

08:32 PM on 08/25/2010

Previously this young woman had been employed for two years with Disney. She had recently told them she wanted to wear her hajib for Ramadan. They told her she would have to wear one that was made by Disney costumers. They failed on that provision. When the observance arrived, she wore her hajib to work. They told her that she could not wear it in the front staging area but she could move to backstaging and keep it on, remove it and stay in the front, or she could go home. She was not fired, suspended, or demoted. She remained in her shift slot with the same wage. She decided to go home. The EEOC in previous rulings stated that there had to be reasonable accommodation by the employer to work through the issue with options. They also stated that the employee could not cause the employer any monetary loss. As Disney is a theatrical business that states clearly in the pre-application information that she would have had to sign, there is a costume clause. After two years of employment she now decides to be adverse to something she would have had to sign to be employed there. She was removed from the schedule because she did not show up for work not because she was suspended. Disney is not showing discrimination here.

[Swami Salami]

01:37 PM on 08/25/2010

she new from the start that disney have a strict employee dress code. the whole thing is about money.

[Jeana Chermont]

01:20 PM on 08/25/2010

The Union UNITE HERE Local 11 is just using this woman for political gain as it is widely known that UNITE HERE Local 11 has been fighting Disney for over 2 years at no avail. Furthermore, the Union does not even care about her religious beliefs, as they are agnostic and atheist and they always fight for the separation between religion and state. How ironic!!! They are just using her to further their cause and gain notoriety!

[Jamf]

11:34 AM on 08/25/2010

Disney is wrong on this issue, of course. On the other hand, what is it with the scarf over the head? Sounds like nothing more than a load of garden-variety superstitious nonsense to me. "The fairy tale that I run my life by requires that I wear a scarf over my head." Really? Seriously?

And, no, I'm not singling out any particular religion. Other than the packaging, they're all basically the same thing. They mandate that you run your life around a prescribed a fairy-tale belief system (no matter how mindless), instead of (simply) doing the right thing.

[ILB]

10:07 PM on 08/25/2010

Disney is wrong? Really? Wow, just wow.

[TYRANNASAURUS]

10:44 AM on 08/25/2010

SHE'S BEEN GIVEN SEVERAL OPTIONS SO SHE CAN WORK THERE IS SHE WANTED TO....SHE'S MORE INTERESTED IN MAKING A VICTIM OF HERSELF FOR A POINTLESS RELIGIOUS POINT. THEY SHOULD FIRE HER BLANK.

[Mitzy]

10:11 AM on 08/25/2010

It's just one more example of Islamic intolerance, a belief that the world should bend toward Islam, and not the other way around. The whole idea of women having to cover up their hair in the name of some religion is bizarre anyway; in fact the whole idea of dressing or appearing a certain way all the time in the name of some religion is a bizarre cult practice used to control people's minds.

[bellamom]

12:22 PM on 08/25/2010

before judging her, keep in mind that the hotel union has a long dispute with the company and may have some influence over her. they could see this situation as an opportunity to leverage off of the national debate over Islam and anti-Islam sentiment. this could be a situation where this young lady is being taken advantage of or influenced to go further than she would under different circumstance. just my opinion.

[Don14625]

01:55 PM on 08/29/2010

Or, it could be that her legal bargaining unit is representing her, in her employment discrimination complaint against Disney.

[pjt2352]

09:17 AM on 08/25/2010

If it is a matter of fairness why should she be able to alter her costume to suit her when others can not? Disney had her on the schedule for more than a week and she would not work. Why continue to schedule her if you know she will not work?

[Giverny]

08:07 PM on 08/25/2010

Previously, she said she did not wear it except for holidays. She has been working without the scarf. She asked for permission to wear one during Ramadan. They said it had to be made by the Disney costumers. They failed that provision..... but they offered her an exchange until the holiday was over; to work in the backstaging of the restaurant, take the scarf off, or go home. They did not change her shift, or her wage., She chose to go home. In previous rulings the EEOC said there must be a reasonable attempt to accommodate the employee and also the employee must be willing to compromise if offered a solution. She was given choices that did not compromise her religion and was not fired, suspended or demoted. They removed her from the schedule because she was not coming in to work leaving the scheduling open where she was placed. I do not believe this is discrimination on the part of Disney as there is a costume clause in the pre-application for employment with them. She signed it or she would not have been hired. She has been there two years which is long enough to have the information digested. Why did it come up this year and not before with her? After two years of employment, she now decides to become adverse?

[Don14625]

02:06 PM on 08/29/2010

This assumes that one's religious beliefs, cultural beliefs, political thinking, etc. remain static. She has a right to express herself in the workplace subject to employment and civil rights law. I really don't see this as any different than a Christian wanting to wear a cross to work, a Hindu a bindi, etc.

[tweets4twits]

04:32 AM on 08/25/2010

Its been over 10 years since I worked in a restaurant, but have I missed something and hostess suddenly became more than an entry-level female equivalent of a bus boy? Her job is something a 15 year old high school student with a part time work permit should be doing. Any of the 4 positions she's been offered would have to be promotions. Kinda thinking this is about wanting to keep the easy job on her own terms instead of putting on a hot costume in 90 degree heat.

[Jezebelle75]

01:28 AM on 08/25/2010

"She's not suspended, we just stopped putting her on the schedule."

Umm....did I miss something here?

[bellamom]

12:18 PM on 08/25/2010

until they work the issue out satisfactorily - the parks & resorts have a dress code for everyone. she knew the dress code when she was hired and chose to follow it. now she wants the dress code changed for her and only her. give Disney time - they will find a satisfactory solution. they are sensitive to employee issues and will find a place for her to work or an agreeable exit package. she also needs to be reasonable - she can wear her hajib and work elsewhere. there are plenty of places within the Disney family that do not have a similar dress code.

[bellamom]

12:20 PM on 08/25/2010

oops hijab - sorry typo. meant no disrespect.

[dim]

05:09 PM on 08/29/2010

If somebody stops showing up for work, after a while it doesn't make much sense putting them in the schedule.