Muslim employee at Canada airport fights dress code

[jolinar of malkshor]

A Muslim woman suspended from her job as a screener at Canada's largest airport for wearing a skirt deemed too long by her employer has filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, her lawyer told AFP Tuesday.

Attorney Jo-Anne Pickel said the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) and Garda, the security company that employed her client, Halima Muse, discriminated against her on the basis of her religion.
Muse, 33, had been employed as a screener at Pearson International Airport in Toronto for five years. Prior to February 2007, she wore a standard uniform with pants and a long jacket issued by the company.
"However, she never felt comfortable wearing the pants as she felt that they were not modest enough and showed the shape of her body," Pickel said, so Muse asked Garda for a longer skirt than is normally issued.

"She is a devout Muslim and wanted to wear a longer skirt with her uniform," Pickel explained.

When she was told none was available, Muse made one herself that was identical in color and fabric to the issued skirt except that it was hemmed a few inches above her ankles rather than a few inches below her knees.
Six months later, Muse was disciplined for being out of uniform, then was asked to return her identification badge and was sent home, said Pickel.
Tuesday afternoon, Garda "said they were willing to accommodate her and let her wear the longer skirt, but they said the uniform policy is set by CATSA," Pickel told AFP.

Talks between CATSA and the Teamsters union representing Muse are scheduled for later in the day, she added.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5...a0C6mTMCQ_uJkw

http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/new...PLAINT-COL.XML


If you dont like the uniform don't fricken work there.

[llama64]

There is no valid reason to block the wearing of that skirt. It doesn't impact her job performance and there isn't a safety concern.

I doubt there was any discrimination behind it, just laziness on her employers part.

Let her wear the skirt, no harm done.

[Pagal4321]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

If you dont like the uniform don't fricken work there.

Are you serious? So you should pick a job based on religious beleifs now?
This lady is wearing a longer skirt, I don't see the big gigantic issue?

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by Pagal4321

Are you serious? So you should pick a job based on religious beleifs now?
This lady is wearing a longer skirt, I don't see the big gigantic issue?

When you get hired for a job, you follow the policies and uniform/dresscode of that company. If the dresscode is in violation of anyone of your beliefs, then dont apply for that job.

Plain and simple.

Why would you go work at a job that is in direct violation of your religous beliefs?

[llama64]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

When you get hired for a job, you follow the policies and uniform/dresscode of that company. If the dresscode is in violation of anyone of your beliefs, then dont apply for that job.

Plain and simple.

Why would you go work at a job that is in direct violation of your religous beliefs?

So we aren't supposed to speak out against those policies? Just either roll with them or quit?

In this case:

"Before I make it, I talked to the uniform guy, and I asked him if I can make it the same color. He told me, if I make it the same color, I can make it," Muse said in an interview.
She wore the home-made skirt for about seven months without problems before she was told she was in violation of CATSA's uniform code.

She was told her solution to her problem was just fine. It was allowed for 7 months before she was suddenly in violation. It's not like she did it without acknowledgment.

She wants to wear a skirt 2 inches longer then the standard issue. Is it such a hard leap to allow women that freedom?

[Rhettzky]

Originally Posted by llama64

So we aren't supposed to speak out against those policies? Just either roll with them or quit?

Not at all, if you don't like the companies policies than don't apply for the job in the first place. IE: Don't apply for a job as a stripper and then piss and moan when people expect you to take your clothes off so they can throw loonies at you.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by llama64

So we aren't supposed to speak out against those policies? Just either roll with them or quit?

In this case:


She was told her solution to her problem was just fine. It was allowed for 7 months before she was suddenly in violation. It's not like she did it without acknowledgment.

She wants to wear a skirt 2 inches longer then the standard issue. Is it such a hard leap to allow women that freedom?

Just because some lowbie uniform guy said it was ok....makes it ok? Uniform policy is made by Transport Canada not uniform guy.

Nice try in making this into a WOMENS issue. This has nothing to do with that. Infact you might argue the opposite as direct interpretation of Islam make women chattel to there male counterparts. I have no problem with her trying to get the uniform policy changed with help from the union or on her own. The biggest thing that gets me here is that she has taken this to the human rights board. Come on. This is not a violation of Human Rights.

[Pagal4321]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

When you get hired for a job, you follow the policies and uniform/dresscode of that company. If the dresscode is in violation of anyone of your beliefs, then dont apply for that job.

Plain and simple.

Why would you go work at a job that is in direct violation of your religous beliefs?

Well if she went and talked to her supervisor and was given the OK to have a skirt then I don't see the issue at all.
But it's good to see people are free to practice their religion and still work where they want to work.

[Red]

So she wore pants for 5 years and NOW this is an issue for her?

Sorry, this smells of a friend lawyer/activist making an issue out of it, probably to make a point. Fire her arse and make the point that most Canadians do what their employer asks them to.

[Crazy Flamer]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

When you get hired for a job, you follow the policies and uniform/dresscode of that company. If the dresscode is in violation of anyone of your beliefs, then dont apply for that job.

Plain and simple.

Why would you go work at a job that is in direct violation of your religous beliefs?

Wrong. What if my work required me to wear a white robe with a white sheet over my head with the initials KKK on it, should I be forced to wear that? It's not the person who shouldn't apply for the job, its the job that should change their dress code.

Unless this is an bona fide occupational requirement, which it is not, the dress code needs to adhere to the beliefs of the woman.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by Rhettzky

Not at all, if you don't like the companies policies than don't apply for the job in the first place. IE: Don't apply for a job as a stripper and then piss and moan when people expect you to take your clothes off so they can throw loonies at you.

Taking your clothes off to have loonies thrown at you is probably an occupational requirement for a stripper. A shorter skirt for CATSA employees probably has no rational connection to any kind of occupational requirement.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by Crazy Flamer

Wrong. What if my work required me to wear a white robe with a white sheet over my head with the initials KKK on it, should I be forced to wear that? It's not the person who shouldn't apply for the job, its the job that should change their dress code.

Unless this is an bona fide occupational requirement, which it is not, the dress code needs to adhere to the beliefs of the woman.

What the hell are you talking about? Good lord man, nice comparision. But, if that were actually true, why would you go work for a company that violates your belief system?

So everyone..........if you dont like your uniform you can demand to make one whoever you like and what ever suites your beliefs.

Yup.....makes sense.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by llama64

She wants to wear a skirt 2 inches longer then the standard issue. Is it such a hard leap to allow women that freedom?

To be clear, it was "a few inches above the ankle instead of a few inches below the knee".


I thought I was going to hear about somebody wanting to wear a face cover or something. I don't see the problem with the skirt. She went out of her way to get matching material and made the thing herself. Sounds like she's wearing everything else the proper way.

Of course, this does open the door for similar requests by others. Maybe that's what triggered it. Maybe another muslim woman requested a longer skirt like the one she has.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by fredr123

Taking your clothes off to have loonies thrown at you is probably an occupational requirement for a stripper. A shorter skirt for CATSA employees probably has no rational connection to any kind of occupational requirement.

Wearing a standard uniform is a job requirement.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by Crazy Flamer

Wrong. What if my work required me to wear a white robe with a white sheet over my head with the initials KKK on it, should I be forced to wear that? It's not the person who shouldn't apply for the job, its the job that should change their dress code.

Unless this is an bona fide occupational requirement, which it is not, the dress code needs to adhere to the beliefs of the woman.

If I remember correctly form my HR classes in Business School some years ago this is exactly correct and this policy is open to legal challange.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

Wearing a standard uniform is a job requirement.

Is there a reason the standard uniform can't be compatible with this woman's beliefs?

[burn_this_city]

Ahh the slippery slope of trying to appeasing every minority, I think this is the biggest threat to Canadian society as we know it.. If they make an exception for her it opens the door for all sorts of people to make claims of religious injustice..

[foofighter15]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

When you get hired for a job, you follow the policies and uniform/dresscode of that company. If the dresscode is in violation of anyone of your beliefs, then dont apply for that job.

Plain and simple.

Why would you go work at a job that is in direct violation of your religous beliefs?

Agreed in full.

[jolinar of malkshor]

It's funny. So many Cp'ers are self proclaimed Aethists. Always saying that the government should be secular. This is a government agency, is should be secular.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Ahh the slippery slope of trying to appeasing every minority, I think this is the biggest threat to Canadian society as we know it.. If they make an exception for her it opens the door for all sorts of people to make claims of religious injustice..

You hit the nail right on the head. Lets appease everyone until there is nothing left of Canada as we know it.