This, as well as stories like it, need to go into the "What the hell?" catagory. We're getting far too many of them.
foxnews.com
Salon Owner Broke After Being Sued for 'Hurt Feelings' by Muslim Stylist With Head Scarf
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
A hair salon owner in London claims her business was driven to the brink of ruin after she was ordered to pay $7,800 to a Muslim woman who claimed her feelings were hurt after she was not hired because she wouldn’t show her hair at work, The Daily Mail reported Wednesday.
Wedge salon owner Sarah Desrosiers requires employees to showcase different looks for clients, as her shop specializes in alternative cuts and colors. Bushra Noah, 19, who made it clear during her interview that she would not remove her head scarf for religious reasons, accused Desrosiers of discrimination.
Desrosiers, 32, was ordered to pay Noah $7,800 for indirect discrimination by way of "injury to feelings," The Mail reported.
"She is simply someone I met for a job interview, who, for a host of reasons, was not right for the job. I cannot see how she deserves £4,000," Desrosiers told The Mail. "Because of this, there will be a black mark against my name for the rest of my life. I feel I have not done anything wrong, and this is a terrible price to pay for a meeting that lasted 10 minutes."
She was unable to prove to the court that employing someone with a headscarf would have a negative impact on her business' stylistic integrity, The Mail reported.
Noah admitted she had attended 25 interviews and not been chosen for any of them before she met Desrosiers. The extremist Muslim group Hizb ut-Tahrir later admitted it had "advised her."
"This has ruined my ambitions," Noah told The Mail. "Wearing a headscarf is essential to my beliefs."
Desrosiers’ lawyers are advising her on whether she can appeal the verdict. |
