(KANSAS CITY, 8/27/2021) – The Kansas Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Kansas) today announced the filing of a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of the Muslim Female employee of Chipotle Mexican Grill in Lenexa, Kan., who was reportedly subjected to harassment by her assistant manager, who repeatedly demanded to “see her hair,” and allegedly forcibly pulled her hijab (religious head-cover).   

READ: Filed Charge of Discrimination  

https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/EEOC.pdf

The complaint and charge were filed by Amy Coopman, a Kansas City attorney with extensive experience with employment and civil rights litigation who was retained by CAIR-Kansas to represent the Muslim victim.  

Earlier this month, CAIR-Kansas called for the assistant manager to be fired.  

SEE: CAIR-Kansas Calls on Chipotle to Fire Manager Who Harassed, Assaulted Female Muslim Employee   

Video: CAIR-Kansas Calls on Chipotle to Fire Manager Who Harassed, Assaulted Female Muslim Employee  

BACKGROUND:  

Since July 2021, the Muslim employee allegedly experienced repeated harassment by an Assistant Manager asking to “see her hair” to which she responded that she wears the hijab for religious reasons and would not remove it. The assistant manager would allegedly repeat that same request while the employee continued working.    

On Aug. 9, the employee was reportedly again approached by the assistant manager asking again to see her hair, to which she responded “no” and returned to her work. The assistant manager then allegedly proceeded to forcibly pull the employee’s hijab off. Both the employee’s cousin, who works the same shift and faced the same harassment from the assistant manager, and the shift supervisor witnessed the incident.  

“While we were encouraged by Chipotle’s initial response to the incident, and their intent to make sure the employee’s harassment is stopped, we have not seen or heard of any solid action in that regard,” said Moussa Elbayoumy, Board Chair of CAIR-Kansas. “We are determined to see justice done in this case and that no other person is subjected to this type of behavior in the future, and will do anything we need to in order to achieve this goal.” 

CAIR has reported an unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims, immigrants and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump as president.  

The Washington-based civil rights organization offers a booklet, called “An Employer’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices,” to help employers gain a better understanding of Islam and Muslims in the workplace.  

CAIR: An Employer’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices  

CAIR’s mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.  

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.  

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CONTACT: CAIR-Kansas Board Chair Moussa Elbayoumy, 785-318-6323, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CAIR-Kansas, which is offering legal help for the young woman, this week called on the Chipotle restaurant to fire the assistant manager.

Moussa Elbayoumy, chair of CAIR-Kansas, said they also want to press criminal charges, but above all, they want to help the woman protect her civil rights and make sure the assistant manager understands the impact of his behavior.

https://shawneemissionpost.com/2021/08/19/lenexa-police-chipotle-hijab-130645/

https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/cartoon2-300x203.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 497px) 100vw, 497px">

• August 19, 2021

(WASHINGTON D.C., 8/19/2021) – The Council on American-Relations (CAIR) and CAIR’s Kansas chapter (CAIR-Kansas) today called on syndicate and digital entertainment provider Andrews McMeel Universal to drop an offensive anti-Shia cartoon and invited the cartoonist to engage in a dialogue with the Muslim community.  

The cartoon — in the series “Argyle Sweater” by cartoonist Scott Hilburn — mocks the name of Shia Muslims with the phrase “No Shiite Sherlock,” and was published in the Kansas City Star and presumably other newspapers nationwide. [NOTE: The phrase “no sh*t Sherlock” is used to indicate something that should have been obvious.] 

SEE OFFENSIVE CARTOON: https://www.gocomics.com/theargylesweater/2021/08/04 

In a letter to the editor in response to the cartoon, Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council Chair Cindy McDavitt said that by publishing the strip, the Star “aligned itself with other media outlets that actively target Muslims to antagonize them and contributed to making Kansas City an unwelcoming place for our Muslim friends.”  

Shia Muslims make up at least 10 percent of the world’s Muslim population, with large populations in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Azerbaijan and as minority communities in other nations. 

SEE: Offensive Comic Strip, Biden’s Responsibility, JoCo Sheriff 

https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article253579879.html

In a statement, CAIR-Kansas Board Chair Moussa Elbayoumy said: 

“At a time when Muslims are targeted by bigotry, cartoons like this contribute to the overall atmosphere of Islamophobia. This cartoon belittles and insults the Muslim community. We call on the syndicate to drop it and invite the cartoonist to take part in a dialogue with the Muslim community to gain greater understanding of Islam and Muslims. Islamophobia must not hide behind misguided attempts at ‘humor.’” 

Elbayoumy said he could facilitate that dialogue with community leaders. 

CAIR Research and Advocacy Coordinator Huzaifa Shahbaz said: 

“Words can have negative consequences in the lives of ordinary people of all faiths. While we strongly support the First Amendment right to publish even offensive material, common courtesy and respect for others should be the guiding principles at rule in this case.” 

Shahbaz noted that CAIR’s first public campaign in the consumer world was launched in 1994 in response to a greeting card containing Islamophobic language, including insults targeting Shia Muslims. That get-well card stated: “So you’re feeling like Shiite. Don’t Mecca big deal out of it.” As a result of CAIR’s campaign, Recycled Paper apologized for the card and ended its production. 

#CAIRSnapshots Video: CAIR Campaign Against Islamophobic Greeting Card Results in Settlement 

https://youtu.be/Xeof1QRQcnY

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.      

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CONTACT: CAIR-Kansas Board Chair Moussa Elbayoumy, 785-318-6323, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

CAIR-Kansas Calls on Chipotle to Fire Manager Who Harassed, Assaulted Female Muslim Employee 

https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/chiptole-300x170.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 479px) 100vw, 479px">

(KANSAS CITY, 8/16/2021) — The Kansas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Kansas) today called on a Chipotle Mexican Grill Restaurant in Lenexa, Kan., to fire an assistant manager who allegedly repeatedly harassed and assaulted a female Muslim employee who wears the hijab, or Islamic head scarf. 

#Islamophobia #kansas #chipotle

Over the past month, the assistant manager reportedly asked the employee several times if he could see her hair, to which she responded that she wears the hijab for religious reasons and would not remove it. The assistant manager would allegedly repeat that same request while the employee continued working.  

On Aug. 9, the employee was reportedly again approached by the assistant manager asking again to see her hair, to which she responded “no” and returned to her work. The assistant manager then allegedly proceeded to forcibly pull the employee’s hijab off. Both the employee’s cousin, who works the same shift and faced the same harassment from the assistant manager, and the shift supervisor witnessed the incident.  

The employee immediately reported the incident to the general manager of the restaurant and the regional field manager, who responded to her the next morning saying the incident would be dealt with immediately and resolved. The field manager came to the store that morning and had a brief private meeting with the assistant manager.  

The employee contacted the field manager that evening to inquire and he told her he had talked to the assistant manager who now understood why his actions were inappropriate and that he believes the assistant manager will act appropriately in the future. The employee also filed a report about the harassment and battery incident with the Lenexa Police Department.  

In a statement, CAIR-Kansas Board Chair Moussa Elbayoumy said: 

“We condemn the actions of this assistant manager who allegedly committed this act of assault against an employee after creating a hostile work environment for the previous month by continually harassing her and her cousin with his demands to remove their religious head cover so he can see their hair. This is a clear violation of their religious rights and of their right to have a safe work environment.   

“The company should fire this assistant manager and review its policy and training of management staff to make sure that no other employee is subjected to this discriminatory and humiliating treatment in the future. All company management staff should be offered diversity training on the right to religious accommodations for staff and the proper way to treat their employees.”   

Elbayoumy noted that CAIR has reported an unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims and members of other minority groups.  

SEE: CAIR Issues an Employer’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices 

https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/An-Employer%E2%80%99s-Guide-to-Islamic-Religious-Practices.pdf

DONATE TO CAIR-KANSAS: https://cairkansas.org/index.php/donate 

https://www.facebook.com/fund/CAIRKansas/

CAIR’s mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.         

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.     

Become a Fan of CAIR-Kansas on Facebook             

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https://www.facebook.com/fund/CAIRKansas/

END   

CONTACT: CAIR-Kansas Board Chair Moussa Elbayoumy, 785-318-6323, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;