Suit alleges discrimination against hijab

DETROIT, July 25 (UPI) -- Two women claim in a lawsuit that a Michigan McDonald's refused to hire them because they wear the hijab, or Muslim headscarf.

Toi Whitfield of Detroit and Quiana Pugh of Dearborn say they were both told by managers at a McDonald's in Dearborn they would have to take off their hijabs to work, the Detroit Free Press reports. They filed a discrimination lawsuit Thursday in Detroit.

The Detroit area has one of the biggest Muslim communities in the United States, and the Dearborn McDonald's is one of only two restaurants in the chain that serves halal Chicken McNuggets that meet Muslim religious standards.

"They'll take Muslim dollars, but won't hire Muslim female employees," said Dawud Walid, head of the Council on American Islamic Relations in Michigan.

The suit named McDonald's, the management company at the Dearborn store and the manager who allegedly refused to hire the two women.

A spokeswoman said the management company has a strict non-discrimination policy.