The Collin County Observer

A Plano doctor who was on a pre-employment orientation tour at the Allen location of CareNow was told by a company official that the company's "no hat" policy would prohibit her wearing from a head scarf (hijab) at work. The hijab is commonly worn by Muslim women as a sign of modesty.

Dr. Hena Zaki of Plano is a recent UT Southwestern Medical School graduate and was in the process of applying for employment with Coppell based CareNow. CareNow operates 4 clinics in Collin County.

The AP reported that, Zaki had been on a tour of an Allen CareNow clinic two weeks ago when she said the regional medical director told her he didn't want her to be surprised about the policy during orientation.

The incident has garnered national and international media coverage after the Associated Press and the Reuters news agency broadcast the story.

The Reuters News Agency reported that Dr. Zaki sent an email to company officials asking for confirmation of the policy. The Reuters article quotes from Dr. Zaki's email:

"Being that I wear a head scarf to cover my hair as part of my religious practice, I felt very discriminated against. I have worked in many places that have a 'no hat' policy, and I have never been confronted with a problem regarding my head scarf. I can't imagine this being an issue with an organization like CareNow. Please confirm if this is really a policy at CareNow."

An e-mail response from CareNow stated that the Muslim doctor had been given the correct information about the medical group's denial of religious accommodation.

The Associated Press article stated that:

Zaki wants an apology and a change in CareNow's policies to accommodate expressions of religious belief — "whether it be a turban or facial hair."

However, CareNow President Tim Miller said he doesn't see anything wrong with the policy.

"I don't really feel like there is a need to apologize," Miller told The Associated Press on Friday evening. "I would apologize for any misunderstanding, definitely ... but I don't really feel like there is anything that we did that is wrong and our policy is wrong."

Miller said CareNow makes exceptions for people who want religious accommodations all the time and that Zaki is welcome to apply for a position with the company.

In a statement issued earlier, CareNow, a Coppell-based operator of 22 clinics in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, said it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion or national origin when making employment decisions.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) weighed in on the incident, writing to the CareNow Human Resources Department:

CAIR is asking CareNow to 1) offer the Muslim applicant a position for which she is qualified and to allow her to wear her Islamic head scarf, 2) provide the applicant with a formal written apology, 3) clarify CareNow's policy on religious accommodation issues and allow a religious exemption to the "no-hat" policy, 4) institute workplace sensitivity and diversity training for staff, and 5) compensate the Muslim applicant for the emotional distress she has suffered as a result of the discrimination.

Bill