Thursday, August 19, 2010

Miller Time or Mecca Time?

Logo for The Walt Disney CompanyImage via Wikipedia
A young Muslim woman is suing Disneyland for discrimination for telling her she could not serve customers if she chose to wear a headscarf.
Disney told Boudlal that if she wanted to work as a hostess she had to remove her hijab because it did not comply with the 'Disney Look,'" Shelton said in a statement.
"Disney further advised Boudlal that if she refused to remove her hijab, she could either work a back-of-the-house position where any customers would not see her, or else go home."
"Their offer to put me in the back is humiliating," she said in a statement. "They're saying because I'm Arab, because I'm Moroccan, because I'm Muslim, they don't want to see me in the front." -- Breitbart
No, they are not. Presumably anyone who chose to dress in "ethnic" garb that doesn't match the look the employer is aiming for would be treated in a similar manner.

Disneyland is a "performance". When an employee who interacts with the public goes on duty, it's "showtime".  Could a Muslim actor seek the part of e.g., the Queen of England and then demand to wear Muslim dress?

I'm in favour of reasonable accommodation and think conservative Muslim women in e.g., Asia look dignified and feminine. But I do not like to see employers (and cultures) pushed by grievance-mongers and rights-pushers.

And it doesn't help when Islam itself is unbending and unaccommodating.

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7 comments:

CanadianSense said...

Perhaps she can apply as a Hooters hostess instead, I don't think they have a head covering policy.

BallBounces said...

Personally I'm in favor of reasonable accommodation, but, I don't like to see employers pushed by grievance-mongers and pushy rights-pushers.

Islam is not playing a cooperative, win-win game. Every win for Islam is a loss for western culture and society.

Anonymous said...

Can't wait for someone to sue Hooters for not allowing her to wear a bhurka.

Anonymous said...

Why don't they just let her work in the Morocco showcase at Epcot? God forbid we find a win/win situation...

BallBounces said...

That sounds like a good idea, except Epcot is in Florida, and she is in California, and Disney would probably still be sued because her she was not treated "equally".

Anonymous said...

I think Disney is stuck. They are going to lose this one. That is just how thing work these days. If they are interested in a "uniform" look, they do have the options of making everyone wear a headscarf.

Anonymous said...

Sorry Anon but I disagree. Disney isn't "stuck".

There's a saying in American legal circles, "Don't mess with the mouse".

Disney fights off thousands of B.S. lawsuits every year.

If North American people would grow some balls and stand up to this garbage we would see less of it.

"... nothing intellectually compelling or challenging.. bald assertions coupled to superstition... woefully pathetic"