CAIR-Kansas Condemns Racist Poster at Kansas City Area School, Urges Full Review of School District Environment, Policies and Staff Training
(KANSAS CITY, 9/27/2021) – The Kansas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Kansas) today condemned a racist poster at a Kansas City area high school and urged the school district to conduct a full review of its environment, policies and staff training to prevent such incidents from occurring.
Over the weekend, photos emerged on social media of two students holding a sign apparently asking for a date to the Olathe South High School homecoming. The sign reads “If I was Black I’d be picking cotton but I’m white so I’m picking you for HOCO?” A spokesperson for Olathe Public Schools issued a statement saying the district is investigating the incident and working to contact all parties involved.
SEE: Olathe School District investigating after photo surfaces of racist homecoming proposal
“This is not the first time an incident like this has occurred at Olathe Public Schools, and it is time for the district to take more serious measures to challenge racism in schools,” said CAIR-Kansas Board Chair Moussa Elbayoumy. “We condemn this incident and urge Olathe Public Schools to conduct a full review of its environment, policies, and staff training to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.”
Elbayoumy said the American Muslim community and CAIR stand in solidarity with all those challenging anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
SEE: CAIR-Colorado Condemns Racist Flyers Targeting Longmont Businesses
CAIR Calls for Updated North Dakota Hate Crime Law After Racist Assault on 11-Year-Old African-American Female
CAIR Calls on 22 House Democrats Who Voted Against De-Militarizing Police to ‘Stop Siding with Police Unions Over Minority Constituents’
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, 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 UPDATE: Chipotle Announces Firing of Employee Who Allegedly Harassed, Assaulted Muslim Employee
(KANSAS CITY, 8/28/2021) – The Kansas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Kansas) today said that Chipotle has fired an assistant manager at its Lenexa, Kan., location who reportedly subjected a female Muslim employee to harassment and assault by repeatedly demanding to “see her hair” and allegedly forcibly pulling her hijab (religious head-cover).
In a statement emailed to CAIR, Chipotle Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Laurie Schalow wrote:
“We have a zero tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind and last week we terminated the employee in question following a thorough investigation. Chipotle’s engaged and hard-working employees are what makes us great, and we encourage our employees to contact us immediately, including through an anonymous 800 number, with any concerns so we can investigate and respond quickly to make things right.”
“We welcome the announcement of terminating the offending assistant manager by Chipotle, however we expect more cultural sensitivity training and tighter oversight of performance and implementation of policies to ensure that no other employee is subjected to this level of harassment and abuse,” said Moussa Elbayoumy, CAIR-Kansas Board Chair.
On Friday, CAIR-Kansas announced the filing of an U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of the Muslim Female employee.
SEE: CAIR-Kansas Announces EEOC Complaint Over Harassment, Assault on Muslim Chipotle Employee
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.
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 protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, 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
https://www.facebook.com/CAIRKansas
Subscribe to CAIR’s YouTube Channel
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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
CAIR-Kansas Calls on Chipotle to Fire Manager Who Harassed, Assaulted Female Muslim Employee
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(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
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
https://www.facebook.com/CAIRKansas
Donate to CAIR-Kansas
https://cairkansas.org/index.php/donate
Help CAIR-Kansas defend your civil rights by organizing a fundraiser for CAIR-Kansas
https://www.facebook.com/fund/CAIRKansas/
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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.;
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