(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - La Fleur Mohamed said she was denied service at a Boca Raton Chevron for not removing her niqab, or face veil.
The incident happened at the Chevron on 19345 State Road 7 in October of last year.
Mohamad said she went to buy gas, but was told they couldn't serve her unless she removed her face veil.
"I said, 'Well excuse me, but this is my religious right' She said, 'Well I need to see you.' I said, 'No you don't, please just give me $20 at pump number 1' That is when she threw the money back," said Mohamed.
Mohamed said she then called law enforcement, but she was still refused service.
Chevron spokesperson Brent Tippen said:
"Chevron continues to take Ms. Mohamed’s allegations seriously.
In response to the incident which occurred in October last year, we conducted a thorough investigation. We spoke with our employee cashier and reviewed the store surveillance tape. The incident occurred within a few days of Halloween – a time when retailers are prone to increased theft from persons wearing masks and other facial coverings. In light of this concern, we acknowledge that our employee did ask Ms. Mohamed to remove her veil for security purposes; when she refused, she was denied service.
We fully believe that our employee acted without the intent to violate Ms. Mohamed’s religious principles and any suggestion that discrimination is acceptable at Chevron is completely false. Chevron employs 60,000 people from countries across the globe. Our Human Rights policy requires that we treat all people with respect and dignity.
Regardless, we regret the misunderstanding. We have apologized twice to Ms. Mohamed and encouraged our employees to be more aware of potential diversity issues."
When asked why she wasn't served after a law enforcement officer arrived, Chevron responded:
“The cashier was asked by the police officer about the issue. The cashier indicated that she was following publicly posted instructions to ask customers to remove masks or other facial coverings for security camera purposes. This is consistent with Chevron’s focus on safety for both its employees and customers. The officer was only inquiring about the cashier’s decision, not to assist with the transaction.
Again we acknowledge that this incident was a misunderstanding. It is not our policy to deny service to customers based on their religious dress. Ms. Mohamed would be served if she came into one of our stores tomorrow.”
Mohamed said she is embarrassed and hired an attorney.
"We are here. We are Americans and we deserve the same rights as everyone else," said Mohamed.
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