Barbershop Battle: Is refusing haircuts a religious right, or gender discrimination?
This past June, Faith McGregor was denied a men's-stye haircut at Terminal Barber Shop. The reason: the owners Omar Mahrouk and Karim Saaden say their Muslim faith does not allow them to touch women they're not related to.
- Shortly after being denied a hair cut at the Bay Street barber shop, McGregor filed a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission. The story itself, though, didn't make it to the papers till this month. On November 3, Xtra! ran a feature on the issue by staff reporter Andrea Houston:
- Toronto Star's Tim Alamenciak followed up this week:
Woman denied haircut goes to Human Rights Tribunal of OntarioA request for a lunch-hour haircut has turned into a battle over human rights, pitting freedom of religion against a woman's right not to...- And then things heated up on Twitter yesterday. Whose rights trump whose? And need there be a hierarchy? Here's are some comments that stuck out for us.
@KimberlyAsal If his religion prevents him from being a barber, and following Ont's human rights law, perhaps cutting hair is not for him.- @ccamilleb It's a slippery slope to a pharmacist denying a woman Plan B on religious grounds. @sol_chrom
@dreahouston @sol_chrom and it's also a slippery slope to us all losing religious freedoms. this kind of hyperbole is pointless.- @ccamilleb @sol_chrom FFS! Do you know what "religious freedom" is? No one is trying to take away your right to be religious.
@dreahouston @ccamilleb There's a very logical reason for what happened, but your bias prevents you from even considering what that might be- @ccamilleb You can't "impose" secularism. No one is saying you must reject your religious beliefs.
- @dreahouston @ccamilleb That's exactly what's being argued. You can't cherry pick someone else's faith - ur not that man or his experiences.
- . @dreahouston ON law also protects his right to faith. No one forced her to be Muslim. She walked into his business for men only.
- . @dreahouston You can't force a man to breach his faith for convenience. If that's offensive, you should really rethink your feminism.
- @KimberlyAsal I'd hardly call discrimination, "convenience." No one says he can't be a Muslim, but she has a right to not be denied service.
- @dreahouston he can refuse service when it goes against his religious beliefs and she can choose to go elsewhere. no one should be FORCED.
- . @dreahouston There's context & nuance to everything. This case is re trying to force him to do something w/ his body that he doesn't want.
- @KimberlyAsal Y'know you sound a lot like the Catholic school boards who screamed, "you can't FORCE us to accept gay-straight alliances!"
- . @dreahouston No, you're saying you want him to be Muslim on your terms, & I'm saying that that's entirely absurd.
- . @dreahouston No, this man wants to run a private business to provide for his family & the comparison is absurd. You seem to be scrambling.
- @KimberlyAsal Why is it absurd to expect that all businesses to serve all customers equally?
- . @dreahouston What about female stylists who refuse to give beauty treatments to men? (which is SO COMMON).
