30 May 2016

Swedish woman denied job because of her head scarf

Ruya El Hattawi said she was left speechless when a recruitment agency phoned her to tell her she would not be given a job that she had previously been offered because her veil went against the employer’s hygiene policy.

The 20-year-old was interviewed for a position at a factory run by Swedish spice and condiment giant Santa Maria a few weeks ago. The conversation was filmed by a recruitment agency and subsequently sent to the company, and the recruiter soon got in touch with her to tell her they were happy and she should be ready to start the position in the second week of June.

The offer left the Gothenburg native excited to have a summer job tied up. But that feeling would soon give way to shock when she was contacted by the recruiter once more. [The Local] Read more