AA / Paris / Ümit Dönmez
Farah, a former Zara employee, finally received justice after several years of fighting against religious discrimination. The industrial tribunal rendered a decision in his favor, declaring his dismissal unfair. This November 1, 2024, the Collective against Islamophobia in Europe (CCIE) rejoiced at this victory, expressing on social networks its satisfaction at seeing “Zara found guilty for the unfair dismissal of Farah”.
In a press release, Farah described the circumstances of her dismissal. In 2019, returning from parental leave, she returned to her job in a boutique of the Spanish ready-to-wear brand, wearing a turban. As soon as she arrived, she was given her uniform. “At 11 a.m., my manager asked me to follow her to the stairwell, where she showed me the house rules on her tablet, demanding that I remove my scarf,” she reported. Farah then explained that her headgear was a turban, not a headscarf, but management maintained its position by banning any “religious signs.”
The case, brought before the Industrial Court with the help of the CCIE, revealed growing tensions around the freedom to wear religious symbols in France. After a favorable decision in 2021, upheld by the appeal, Farah hoped her case could inspire others facing similar discrimination. “We want to give up, but then we say to ourselves, ‘no, we have to go,’” she declared, visibly moved, after receiving the call from her lawyer announcing the final decision.
This victory comes in a context of a marked increase in Islamophobic acts in France, where reports of anti-Muslim acts increased by 57% in 2023 according to the CCIE. The latest reports from the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH) also indicate an increase in violence against Muslims, 75% of which manifests itself through threats or insults.
This emblematic case relaunches the debate on the wearing of religious symbols in public spaces and in the world of work in France. For Farah, this fight went beyond her own situation: “It was also for my daughter, and for all the others,” she confided. The CCIE hopes that this decision will mark a precedent against religious discrimination in business, encouraging a climate of reinforced tolerance.
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