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A former Disneyland restaurant employee in the United States is suing Walt Disney Co for harassment and religious discrimination.

Image Boudlal, a 28-year-old Muslim launched the action against Disney claiming she was sacked because she wanted to wear the Muslim headscarf at work.

Ms Boudlal worked as a hostess at the Storytellers Cafe, a restaurant inside Disney's Grand California Hotel at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, according to a complaint filed in federal court.

Two years into the job, she asked permission to wear a hijab while at work. She claimed that she offered to wear a scarf that matched her uniform or featured a Disney logo.

According to her lawsuit, Disney managers denied her request, saying it would violate the company's policy for how employees "look". Among the restrictions, the policy prohibits visible tattoos and fingernails that exceed a quarter of an inch, the lawsuit said.

Ms Boudlal was given the choice of working in an area away from customers, or wearing a fedora-style hat on top of her headscarf. When she refused, she was fired, the lawsuit states.

A US citizen who was born in Morocco, Ms Boudlal said she was also subject to anti-Arab and anti-Muslim slurs, including being called "terrorist" and "camel" by co-workers and supervisors. She said she reported the incidents to managers but they took no action.

Ms Boudlal claimed that she has also been labelled a "troublemaker" and found it difficult to find employment since the case first came to light in 2010.

A Disney spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.----

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9474167/Disney-sued-over-by-former-employee-over-hijab.html

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