Woman denied haircut, files human rights complaint

[chicot60]

CTVNews.ca Staff

Barbers in Toronto who refused to cut a woman’s hair have become the target of a human rights complaint, in a case that pits religious freedom against gender equality.

When Faith McGregor went into the Terminal Barber Shop requesting a short haircut, she was told the shop only grooms men.

The reason, co-owner Omar Mahrouk said, was that as a Muslim he could not cut the hair of a woman who was not related to him.

Faith McGregor discusses why she felt discriminated against, after being refused a haircut from The Terminal Barber Shop in Toronto, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012.

But for McGregor, the rejection of her patronage amounted to sexism.

“Fundamentally, my hair is the same as their male clients, so why would they have a problem with that,” she told CTV News.

“I felt like a second class citizen, like it was hard to hear that they refused and there was no discussion."

So the 35-year-old filed a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.

Under the law, business owners aren’t supposed to discriminate based on gender, but Mahrouk felt he had religious rights.

A lawyer for the owners also says in their defence they've only ever trained to cut men's hair and that they'd bought a barbershop on the expectation they would only have to serve male clientele.

The Terminal bills itself as “the oldest standing barber shop in Toronto,” offering haircuts, massages and hot lather shaves “in a classic barber shop setting,” since 1925.

Its client list includes former prime minister Paul Martin and actor Woody Harrelson, who can be seen posing with the owners in a photograph on the shop’s website.

Some are standing behind the barbershop’s owners, pointing out that there are women-only spas and gyms.

“If I wanted to have a specialized business geared just towards men that wanted hot razor shaves and cuts, why not,” said Sean Gibson of the Ontario Barber Association.

But McGregor disagrees and is hoping to force the shop to service women too.

Her case goes to mediation in the new year.





Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/woman-denied-haircut-files-human-rights-complaint-1.1040609#ixzz2COhzC900

[grey1]

Is this a one man barber shop ?
Or an all Muslim barber shop ?

[metalmaker]

Give it a rest, someone is always looking for their 15 minutes of fame.

[satchick]

It's amazing how far people will push the whole "human rights" issue. Cases like this do nothing but detract from the legitimate cases of discrimination. It seems to me like she went in looking for an argument, I suspect that even if the barber did agree to cut her hair, she would still complain about the end result. I think the barber's comment regarding not being trained to style women's hair is valid, and I think the shop absolutely did the right thing by refusing this customer. I would much rather be told "we aren't trained to do this" than have someone with no experience make a half-assed attempt. It's a whole lot easier to walk to the salon down the street then it is to fix your hair after a barber screwed it up.

I think the decision should rest with the business. It should also be noted that there are many businesses that cater to women only, so if this woman is so concerned about equality she should realize that it works both ways.

[pa123]

I think imo that someone whom adheres to strict religious beliefs,as it seems this Muslim man does,should pick a trade where he would not face any serious problems in day to day work,this may have never happened in the country where he came from such as Saudi or Afganistan,or Iran but this uis North America! where all people have rights, or wrongs