Suit: Abercrombie & Fitch Told Muslim Job Seeker Scarf Not Part of the Look
A Muslim job seeker claims in a lawsuit that an Abercrombie & Fitch manager refused to hire her, telling her that a head scarf is not part of the “Abercrombie look.”
The suit is the second one filed by a Muslim over the retailer’s look policy since 2009, the San Jose Mercury News reports. In the latest case, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued on behalf of Halla Banafa, who says she was rejected for a job stocking merchandise at a California store because of her head covering.
An EEOC press release quotes San Francisco regional attorney William Tamayo. “This is not the first wake-up call for Abercrombie & Fitch,” he said. “In 2005, the company agreed to a six-year consent decree and paid $40 million to a class of African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos and women. Why? They were sued by EEOC and private litigants for refusing to recruit, hire, promote and retain minorities because they did not fit Abercrombie’s ‘All-American look.’ ”
