@Akheilos @gambit @hinduguy
Hey, I did a little research on the case and this is what I found:
Quite frankly, I did not know much about Abercrombie & Fitch and when I visited their website, my first reaction was, why a hijab wearing Muslim female would want to work for a company like that? But digging a little further, I found out that actually she had applied for Abercrombie Kids, which is part of Abercrombie & Fitch for stocking merchandise.
abercrombie kids | classic, preppy clothing for guys and girls
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Therefore, the company’s sex appeal and the so-called “All-American image” was not going to be affected in this case.
I also found out that Abercrombie & Fitch has a history of discriminating against non-whites. In 2003 they lost a lawsuit known as
Gonzalez et al. v. Abercrombie & Fitch and paid as a settlement almost $40 million to Latino, Asian and African-American plaintiffs. Abercrombie & Fitch also agreed to implement hiring and recruiting procedures to ensure compliance under the degree.
But clearly it seems they learned nothing from their previous blunders and continued with their discriminatory hiring practices.
The company it seems to me intentionally violated the law, since the law is very clear:
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin, and requires employers to accommodate the sincerely held religious beliefs or practices of employees, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the business.
They could have easily accommodated Samantha Elauf and could have saved themselves from negative publicity and embarrassment.
Sources:
EEOC Agrees to Landmark Resolution of Discrimination Case Against Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch Sued For Religious Discrimination