A classic routine in every sense, shame the fresh material could not match it
Blind panic swept through the City once again as the Stock Market collapsed
More...
Hairdresser sued for refusing to hire Muslim woman in a headscarf
Last updated at 09:37am on 09.11.07The owner of a hair salon is being sued for religious discrimination for refusing to hire a Muslim woman who wears a headscarf.
Sarah Desrosiers, 32, says she turned down Bushra Noah as a junior stylist to maintain the image of her salon, which specialises in "urban, funky" cuts.
She told Miss Noah, 19, she needed her staff to display their hairstyles to the public.
Scroll down for more...
Bushra Noah: Insists headscarf is irrelevant to her skills
But the devout Muslim insisted that wearing her headscarf was essential to her beliefs.
Miss Noah, who has been rejected for 25 different hairdressing jobs after interviews, is suing Miss Desrosiers for more than £15,000 for injury to her feelings plus an unspecified sum for lost earnings.
Miss Desrosiers, who set up the Wedge salon in King's Cross, North London, 18 months ago, says she faces financial ruin if she loses the case.
She denies any discrimination and insists it is an "absolutely basic" job requirement that cus-Yesterday, Miss Desrosier said: "When a potential client walks past on the street, they look into a salon at the stylists to get an impression of what haircut they are going to get there.
"The image I have built my salon on is very urban, funky, punky. That is the look I am going for.
Scroll down for more...
Flamboyant hair: Owner Sarah Desrosiers expects her staff to help 'sell image'
"If an employee were wearing a baseball cap or cowboy hat I would ask them to remove it at work.
"It has nothing to do with religion. But I now feel like I have been branded a racist. My name is being dragged through the mud."
She went on: "This girl is suing me for more than I earn in a year.
"I am a small business and have only had my salon a year and a half. If I lose this lawsuit, my business will fold."
In legal papers setting out her employment tribunal claim, Miss Noah alleges she was discriminated against at her interview in March and wrongly turned down for a job she was capable of doing because of her headscarf.
Yesterday, she said: "The advertised job of junior assistant stylist was perfect for me. I did NVQs in hairdressing at college and have 18 months experience at a salon in Ealing Broadway.
"On the phone, Sarah sounded very keen on me because of my experience and qualifications. I sent her my CV and she invited me in a few days later for a trial day.
"But when I got there, she looked at me in shock. She started making excuses about wanting someone who lived locally but I knew it was my headscarf.
"She said, 'You really should have told me that you wear a headscarf'. She asked if I wore it all the time and I said, 'Yes'. She asked if I would take it off for work and I said, 'No'.
"Wearing a headscarf is very important in my religion and is non-negotiable. It is about showing your modest side."
Miss Noah added: "I am Britishborn and I know the urban, funky look. Just because I wear a headscarf does not mean I do not follow the latest trends and fashions.
"Afterwards, I felt so devastated and depressed. It has always been my ambition to be a hairdresser but I have given up now after being rejected 25 times.
"It is always because of my headscarf, whether they say it or not.
"I just thought that Sarah should not be allowed to get away with it and that if I don't stand up for myself, no one else will."
The case will be heard at the Central London Employment Tribunal in January.
• Covering up... Cases in the headlines
Teaching assistant Aishah Azmi was dismissed from a Church of England primary school in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, after refusing to remove her niqab in lessons led by a male teacher. Mrs Azmi, said it was her Islamic duty to wear the veil in the presence of adult males who were not blood relatives.
Shabina Begum, claimed a "victory for all Muslims" in a landmark Court of Appeal ruling that Denbigh High School in Luton had unlawfully excluded her for flouting its uniform policy. Miss Begum lost almost two years' education before being accepted to another school which allowed her to wear the jilbab.
Accounts manager Aneela Farani, told an employment tribunal that she was repeatedly dismissed as a terrorist in the wake of the attacks on London in 2005. She said colleagues at Confidential Shredding Services, based at Old Trafford, made jokes about her headscarf which humiliated her.
Sophia Moussaoui, a divorce lawyer, was sacked by the Church of England's solicitors because her religious clothing was an embarrassment to the firm. Ms Moussaoui lost her job after Radcliffes, based in Westminster, merged with Jay Benning & Peltz, where she qualified.
Reader views (14)
Here's a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.
As a Muslim myself, it is hard to find a job when you're wearing a headscarf but it's just common sense that if you want to work in a hairdressers you have to show your hair. I wear a headscarf and I wouldn't let someone do my hair unless I knew what their hair looked like so that I can have more confidence in them and to know that I'm in good hands.
- Mio, LONDON
As a business owner myself I am appalled by this decision and I agree with most of the comments here. I run a tribute and look alike agency if this country continues to go to the PC dogs then expect a female headscarf wearing Tom Jones 'Look alike' your way soon. Roger above should try running a business. If Sarah has a fighting find then I would give her a few quid!
- Paul Holgart, Addlestone Surrey
This sickens me. Bushra Noah is clearly attempting to self publicise.
If she wins this case I recommend we all begin applying for "faith school" jobs, wearing short sleeved tops and shorts, and immediately sue when rejected.
- Paul, London
13°c
18°c
