Wednesday, September 29, 2010

At least they didn't add mouse ears: Disneyland customizes worker's Islamic head covering

Disneyland, known for its strict dresscode for its "cast member" workers, is allowing a company intern to wear her religious hijab headscarf to work, after first banishing her to the stockroom.

But it's a special, Disneyfied hijab.

Noor Abdallah was hired as a vacation planner over the phone. When the 22-year-old arrived at Disneyland for orientation, she was asked by she didn't mention the hijab (a Muslim expression of faith) and told she would have to take a position with less guest interaction, working in the stockroom until a "customized uniform" could be made, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

She was told that making the customized uniform would take about five months, That's about the length of her internship.

In the meantime, she's wearing a beret over the hijab.

The woman is not Imane Boudial, who filed a discrimination complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in August. Imane wants to wear her hijab to work in the Storyteller's Restaurant at Disneyland's Grand Californian Hotel.

Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown said in a statement:

"Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has a long history of accommodating a variety of religious requests from cast members of all faiths -- with more than 200 accommodations made over the last three years and this instance was no different."

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