A Texas woman was told in a job interview with CareNow that she would be unable to wear her hijab to work as part of the company’s “no-hat” policy.
“Being that I wear a head scarf to cover my hair as part of my religious practice, I felt very discriminated against. I have worked in many places that have a ‘no hat’ policy, and I have never been confronted with a problem regarding my head scarf. I can’t imagine this being an issue with an organization like CareNow. Please confirm if this is really a policy at CareNow.”
CareNow replied stating that the correct information had been given on the company’s denial of religious accommodation.
The Council on Islamic Relations CAIR called on the company to allow her to wear the headscarf, adjust the policy to accommodate religious symbols like the hijab, and formally apologize to the applicant.
CareNow President Tim Miller told the Associated Press, “I would apologize for any misunderstanding, definitely … but I don’t really feel like there is anything that we did that is wrong and our policy is wrong.” He then stated, “We apologize to Dr. Zaki for the misunderstanding. We will clarify our policy, and will continue our ongoing sensitivity training.”
“Care Now has made religious accommodations for employees in the past,” he said, adding that the company is interested in “sitting down with Dr. Zaki and discussing a job.”
