From Detroit Free Press
by Niraj Warikoo
INKSTER, Mich. — When Raghdaa Ali attempted to walk into a cash advance store one day last summer to get a money order, an employee pointed to the headscarf that she wore and said, “You need to take it off.”
The Advance America Cash Advance store here has a sign outside that reads: “Please Remove hat and Sunglasses” and requires customers to be buzzed in to enter and temporarily remove their head coverings for security reasons.
But as an observant Muslim woman who keeps her head covered in accordance with her faith, Ali tried to explain why she unable to remove her scarf, known as hijab. She was denied entry and told that unless she left police would be called.
“I felt really hurt that day,” recalled Ali, a Dearborn Heights resident and native of Iraq. “I’m a U.S. citizen and should not be treated differently because of my religion. This is pure discrimination against hijab.”
Ali later filed a lawsuit, and now her case may come to trial this year in Detroit, illustrating growing tensions as Muslim women fight for the right to wear hijab in public places. The conflict has come up more frequently in recent years as a religious minority seeks acceptance of its faith.
