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A former Disneyland employee filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the Walt Disney Corporation alleging discrimination based on her religion.
Imane Boudlal, 28,  had worked as a restaurant hostess at the Storyteller’s Cafe  at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa for two years before questioning Disney’s dresscode.
The lawsuit alleges Boudlal, who is a Moroccan native but a naturalized U.S. citizen, in 2010, did report to her managers at the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa’s Storyteller’s Café after she decided to wear her hijab full-time. Muslim women wear the hijab to show as a sign of modesty. She claims she was told wearing her hijab to work was not part of the company’s “look” policy in accordance with their general appearance guidelines, and she was told she could wear a Disney-designed scarf, subject to corporate approval.  Among the other restrictions in the policy, it prohibits visible tattoos and fingernails that exceed a quarter of an inch, the lawsuit said. Boudlal was also given other options, including working in an area away from visitors or wearing a hat on top of the scarf.
Not wanting to wait to observe Ramadan, Boudlal wore her own hijab to work Aug. 15, 2010, when she says she was give her options and told she could either remove the scarf, cover it with a hat or work in a job out of public sight. She refused.
Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown said the company attempted to work with Boudlal.
“Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has a history of accommodating religious requests from cast members of all faiths,” Brown said in a statement. “We presented Ms. Boudlal with multiple options to accommodate her religious beliefs, as well as offered her several roles that would have allowed her to wear her own hijab. …
“Unfortunately, she rejected all of our efforts and has since refused to come to work.”
Boudlal’s suit also claims she was harassed by co-workers, who used racial slurs toward her, even though she complained about the harassment to her supervisors.
Attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union has filed the lawsuit on Boudlal’s behalf.
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