[UPDATED:] Disney Lets Muslim Worker Wear Her Hijab
UPDATE: Disney releases a statement (see end of post) . . .
Disneyland is allowing a Muslim worker to wear her religious headscarf in a position where she interacts with the public.
However, the woman in question is not Imane Boudlal, the hostess at Storyteller's Cafe in Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, who was part of a media dust-up last month after she refused management's offer to either remove her hijab or take a job working out of public view.
The Los Angeles Times has the scoop on the latest case.
An unidentified woman was offered an internship as a vacation planner in Anaheim after a phone interview. When she arrived wearing her traditional headscarf, she was asked why she did not mention her hijab. She was then offered a post in the stockroom until a customized costume could be made for her.
But, here's the rub: she was told it would take five months to come up with the new costume--which is the length of her internship.
As it did with Boudlal, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, whose greater Los Angeles office is located in Anaheim, intervened. However, this time Disneyland agreed to accommodate the woman in her original position as a vacation planner, according to CAIR.
As CAIR continues to negotiate on behalf of Boudlal, the organization is urging Disney to incorporate a corporate-wide policy that protects its employees' right to wear religious attire.
We're reaching out to Disney for comment now.
From Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown:
"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."
Disneyland is allowing a Muslim worker to wear her religious headscarf in a position where she interacts with the public.
However, the woman in question is not Imane Boudlal, the hostess at Storyteller's Cafe in Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, who was part of a media dust-up last month after she refused management's offer to either remove her hijab or take a job working out of public view.
The Los Angeles Times has the scoop on the latest case.
An unidentified woman was offered an internship as a vacation planner in Anaheim after a phone interview. When she arrived wearing her traditional headscarf, she was asked why she did not mention her hijab. She was then offered a post in the stockroom until a customized costume could be made for her.
But, here's the rub: she was told it would take five months to come up with the new costume--which is the length of her internship.
As it did with Boudlal, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, whose greater Los Angeles office is located in Anaheim, intervened. However, this time Disneyland agreed to accommodate the woman in her original position as a vacation planner, according to CAIR.
As CAIR continues to negotiate on behalf of Boudlal, the organization is urging Disney to incorporate a corporate-wide policy that protects its employees' right to wear religious attire.
From Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown:
"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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