(Hartford Courant) A Connecticut woman has lodged a discrimination complaint against a Middletown McDonald’s, alleging she was barred from wearing a hijab at work — a violation of her “sincerely-held religious beliefs,” she said, along with federal and state civil rights protections.
In a complaint filed with the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, Arlene Hassan said she resigned without working a shift after being told the restaurant’s owner did not allow employees to wear a hijab at work.
The owner, Mike Ghadimian, said he was perplexed by Hassan’s allegations, which he called absolutely untrue, “because I’m a Muslim.”
“My family is Muslim,” he said. “We have people who work in our restaurant, in hijab, as we speak.”
