• Aisha Amalou, a white Scottish woman who converted to Islam, claims she faced racial and religious discrimination at her care home job.
• Amalou is suing Thistle Healthcare for unlawful dismissal and discrimination, asserting that the incidents, including alleged mocking by a manager.
A British, white convert to Islam alleges she was instructed to remove her hijab at work, claiming racial discrimination due to her white ethnicity.
Aisha Amalou, described in legal documents as a “Caucasian female who converted to Islam many years ago,” is seeking damages from a care home company, alleging that a manager insisted she was “not even a Muslim.”
She claims that, while working as a care assistant at the Lochleven Care Home in Broughty Ferry, a colleague repeatedly ordered her to remove her hijab, dismissing her explanations that she wore it for religious reasons.
Ms. Amalou, 33, alleges that when she attempted to address the issue with a manager, that manager disclosed it was she who had issued the order to remove the hijab.
Additionally, it is claimed that another manager dismissed Ms. Amalou on March 1, citing a panic attack at work and issues related to the “hijab.”
This manager allegedly told Ms. Amalou “toddle-oo” in a “mocking tone” after terminating her employment.
Born and raised in Scotland, Ms. Amalou is now pursuing legal action against the care home operator, Thistle Healthcare, claiming there was an “incorrect stereotypical assumption” that she should not wear a hijab.
Having started her job at the care home in November last year, Ms. Amalou is also claiming mistreatment based on her faith and her disability, citing a history of anxiety and depression.
Thistle Healthcare declined to comment ahead of the case, scheduled for the end of next month, but is expected to dispute Ms. Amalou’s claims, stating that she was never asked to remove her hijab.
Ms. Amalou’s lawyer, Ryan Russell, stated that his client has evidence to support her claims, including text exchanges with her imam and eyewitness testimonies from colleagues.
Legal documents include a WhatsApp conversation with her imam on the day she alleges she was told to remove her hijab, where she sought his guidance.
She wrote: “My manager told me to remove my hijab I got emotional… she says its [sic] not religion and to take it off I’m really upset.” She asked the imam, “Is the hijab a choice? What should I do?”
The imam advised her to calmly explain the importance of the hijab, adding: “The benefits of hijab are many, the ruling of hijab is timeless, and it is a part of our religion and obedience to Allah.”
The legal documents claim Ms. Amalou was instructed to remove her hijab due to a workplace policy on head coverings.
It is alleged that she was dismissed for reasons “connected to wearing the hijab” and that comments regarding it fostered an “intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating and offensive environment.”
Ms. Amalou is seeking a ruling on unlawful discrimination and “financial compensation and an award for injury to feelings.”
She asserts that the discrimination she experienced “had a significant impact” on her mental health.
Mr. Russell noted that his firm, MML Law, aims to “raise awareness for those being discriminated against in the workplace,” and he expects the case to proceed to a full public hearing in 2025.
In 2011, nearly two-thirds of women converting to Islam in the UK were white, with over 70 percent being white, and the average age of conversion was 27.
