Employee at Glenside restaurant reportedly asked to remove hijab while working

GLENSIDE — An employee at a Montgomery County restaurant was allegedly put in a situation last week where she was asked by another employee to compromise her faith for her job.

The Philadelphia Chapter of Council on American Islamic Relations issued a statement Saturday about the incident at Michael’s Family Restaurant & Diner in the Glenside section of Cheltenham and Abington townships where “a Muslim employee was asked to choose between removing her hijab or leaving work.”

A video was posted Friday by a restaurant employee, according to a spokesperson for the local advocacy agency. The interaction took place during Ramadan, which continues until April 20. The employee was allegedly told by another employee who “appears to be her direct manager/supervisor” to remove her hijab or leave work.

In the video, the employee could be heard saying “I’m just going to go home since I can’t wear it.”

Michael’s Family Restaurant addressed the incident in a statement on Facebook to customers as well as Philadelphia area Muslim community members: “Michael’s Family Restaurant has been serving Glenside for over 15 years and have always taken pride in our quality of service, respect for our customers, and the diversity of our employee and customer base. A video posted online on Friday, April 7, 2023 recorded one of our employees violating the values of our establishment. Our leadership team evaluated facts of the case and we would like our community to know that, effective Friday, April 7, 2023 this employee is no longer affiliated with Michael’s Family Restaurant in Glenside.”

Area residents and the NAACP expressed their outrage on the matter at a protest over the weekend outside the eatery, according to reports from 6ABC.

“For this … to occur during this specific holy time is really a disgrace,” Eddie Graham, president of NAACP’s Cheltenham branch told Action News.

“This is unlawful religious discrimination, which is more disturbing during this sacred time of year,” said Timothy Welbeck, a CAIR-Philadelphia civil rights attorney, in a statement. “U.S. law clearly establishes the right for people to freely accept religious beliefs and engage in any corresponding religious actions and/or rituals made in concert with those beliefs. Federal law requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for those beliefs.”

The restaurant said it would engage with Muslim-American community members, meet with CAIR-Philadelphia representatives and implement “sensitivity training” for employees “to ensure an incident like this never repeats.”

“We thank everyone who reached out to our restaurant to record their disappointment,” the restaurant said in a statement. “We share their sentiments and would like to underline that we value and respect every background that we proudly serve, including our Muslim-American customers. We are saddened that this incident disrupted their peaceful observance of the month of Ramadan. Needless to note, our beloved employee will be able to work here with her khimar should she wish to do so.”