SAN DIEGO – An Islamic civic rights group has asked the Department of Justice to investigate whether Navy FCU violated a Muslim woman's civil rights when it denied her service because she was wearing a religiously-mandated head scarf, or hijab.
The woman claims she was denied service Saturday at a Navy Fed’s branch, despite telling credit union officials that she wears her head scarf for religious reasons, according to CAIR, an Islamic civil rights advocacy group. "The woman has been banking there for four years and she’s never had a problem," Edgar Hopida, spokesman for CAIR, told The Credit Union Journal yesterday.
He said they sent a letter to the credit union on the member’s behalf and have filed a civil rights complaint with the local office of the FBI.
"Under this bizarre and discriminatory policy, no Muslim woman wearing a head scarf, no Sikh man wearing a turban, no Jewish man wearing a yarmulke, no Catholic nun wearing a habit, no cancer survivor wearing a scarf, no Amish woman wearing a bonnet, and no blind person wearing sunglasses may enter a Navy Federal Credit Union branch nationwide," said Hopida.
Navy Fed said in a statement, "In the interest of Security and Safety for our members and employees -- hats, hoods and sunglasses must be removed when entering the branch office. Special consideration for cultural and religious garments is under the discretion of the branch management. Navy Federal is making inquiries into the recent incident."
