Indian restaurant staff in Bahrain have banned women from wearing the hijab.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MANAMA — Authorities in the Bahraini capital, Manama, have closed a restaurant India after allegedly rejecting a woman who wears a headscarf. In a video that went viral on social media on Friday (3/25), restaurant staff barred a veiled woman from entering.
The woman wearing the veil was banned from entering with a friend identified as Mariam Naji. In the video, Naji confirms that he and his partner are forbidden from entering the Lanterns restaurant.
“The Lanterns restaurant says you can’t come in because you’re wearing a headscarf. Can you imagine? Restaurants shouldn’t make such decisions because we’re in a Muslim country,” the woman said in the video. Middle monitor isTuesday (29/3).
According to the Bahraini newspaper, Daily GrandstandThe Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) has launched an investigation into the matter. BTEA has asked all tourist outlets to comply with regulations and avoid applying policies that violate the laws of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
“We reject all acts of discrimination against people, especially with regard to their national identity,” the BTEA statement read.
BTEA said the manager of the Lanterns restaurant had been arrested. The restaurant confirmed that the manager had been suspended. On Saturday (3/26), Restaurant Lanterns released a statement which was uploaded to their Instagram page. In a statement, Lanterns welcomes everyone who comes to its restaurant. Even Lanterns offers customers free meals.
“Everyone is welcome at Lanterns. We have been serving customers in Bahrain for over 35 years. Lanterns is a place where everyone can enjoy family time and feel at home. In this case, a mistake was made. committed by a manager who is has now been suspended because it does not represent our vision,” the Lanterns’ statement read.
Naji denied claims on social media that the manager was an Indian Hindu. The director of Lanterns was an Englishman named Lloyd. Naji urged everyone not to spread false information.
The incident comes amid an Indian court ruling to enforce a controversial headscarf ban in educational institutions in the southern state of Karnataka, which is ruled by a Hindu nationalist party. The ban sparked protests and anger from Muslim women.
