By Anna Villoth, Staff Writer
During the summer of 2021, an incident took place at a Chipotle restaurant in Lenexa, Kan. Kevin Silva Garcia, an assistant manager, “yanked” off a Muslim teen worker’s hijab.
The line-worker, Areej Saifan, was asked repeatedly by Garcia to show him her hair, which was covered by a hijab. Although Saifan refused continuously, Garcia was not dissuaded and would not leave her alone.
Garcia ended up directly removing Safians’s hijab from her head.
“Chipotle’s inaction resulted in the manager escalating his abuse, ultimately grabbing and forcibly removing part of the teen’s hijab,” the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said in its statement.
Soon after the 2021 incident, Saifan resigned, submitting her two weeks notice that August. This was the result of Gracias’ threats and the Chipotle management’s constant failures to address the harassment. The incident created an uproar, causing a lawsuit filed by the EEOC against the food chain.
“Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination – including harassment – because of a person’s religion,” the EEOC said in a statement regarding the lawsuit. “The EEOC seeks monetary relief for the victim, as well as an order prohibiting future religious discrimination, and other relief.”
Religious harassment and discrimination is still an ongoing issue even after many regulations have been put in place to help prevent unlawful situations.
“This unfortunate event highlights the persistent issue of Islamophobia in our country. While this incident came to light, many others likely go unnoticed, with victims silenced by fear.” Muslim Student Association President and sophomore biology major Simra Khan stated.
Many people believe the incident will hopefully shine a light on actions that should not be tolerated. According to the U.S. Constitution, freedom of religion protects individuals in this country when it comes to their faith. However, this incident is just one example of how many individuals from many religious backgrounds can be affected.
Even though the U.S. has taken action against religious harassment, there are still countries who refuse to do so, and even go as far as promoting the discrimination.
Junior accounting major Maraim Chaudhry voiced her opinion regarding France’s hijab regulations
“France wanting to ban hijabs is so ridiculous to me. The country as a whole is hating on Muslims and no one can stop them because even the government is supporting the harsh treatment of Muslims,” Chaudhry said.
In 2004, the country banned headscarves in schools, and in 2010, it passed a ban on full face veils in public, angering many in its Muslim community of five million.
While there are countries prohibiting persons of the Islamic community from participating in actions of their religion, there are also regulations set in place in countries where they force women to abide by religious rules.
“Iran isn’t even giving women a chance to think for themselves. Women should have the ability to think for themselves rather than having the hijab and religion forced onto them.” Chaudhry stated in regards to the mandatory hijab law in Iran for women.
Women in Iran face up to 10 years in prison if they continue to defy the country’s mandatory hijab law, under harsher laws awaiting approval by authorities.
Many people continue to oppose the amount of discrimination, harassment and forceful actions being taken against all these religious communities.
“As advocates for tolerance and understanding, we have a responsibility to use our platform to raise awareness about these issues and promote inclusivity,” Khan stated.
We all have different opinions and perspectives on how we live our lives, but students feel that purposefully hurting an individual based on their beliefs has only shown to cause harm.
Many would think the incident that occurred at Chipotle would fill people’s hearts with rage, but it mainly has encouraged people to shine light to these controversial issues and create awareness for individuals who need protection.
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