Air Canada forced a 12-year old to remove her hijab: civil rights group - Global News

Air Canada employees forced a 12-year-old member of the U.S. national junior squash team to remove her hijab at the San Francisco airport last month, a Muslim civil rights group says.Fatima Abdelrahman was waiting in line to board her flight to Toronto on Aug. 1 when an Air Canada agent approached her and demanded she remove the religious head covering, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.Story continues below READ MORE: ‘Pure incompetence’: Passenger calls out Air Canada over handling of racist incidentFatima, who was with her team en route to an international tournament, explained to the agent that she chooses to wear a hijab as part of her faith. She requested a private screening area with the “exclusive presence of female Air Canada agents,” but employees refused and escorted her to a nearby tunnel where she had to remove her hijab publicly, according to a letter of complaint from the council Friday.“This experience not only went against Ms. Fatima’s reasonable request to be able to adhere to her religious beliefs but also left her feeling angry and humiliated,” council legal co-ordinator Ammad Rafiqi said in the letter, citing the agents’ “flippant and callous attitude.”The incident violated Fatima’s right to privacy and equal access, he said.WATCH: Unpacking the politics: Quebec’s ban on wearing religious symbols hits the federal election

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September 24, 2019 at 05:14AM