Samantha Elauf was a teenager when she applied for a job at Abercrombie Fitch in her hometown of Tulsa, Okla.
She wasn't hired because she wore a headscarf, or hijab, as part of her Muslim faith. She was told that...
Your hijab didn't conform to the company's Look Policy.
Samantha filed a charge against Abercrombie Fitch with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
After investigating Samantha's charge and failing to reach a voluntary settlement with the employer, EEOC filed suit against Abercrombie Fitch alleging religious discrimination and eventually taking the case all the way to the U.S. supreme Court.
The court held , in an 8-1 decision , that an employer may not refuse to hire an applicant to avoid accommodating a religious practice . the court ruled that such behavior violates the prohibition on religious discrimination in title VII of the civil Rights Act of 1964 .