ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, April 20, 1996 TAG: 9604220037
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: FALLS CHURCH
A hotel owner has changed his mind and hired a Muslim woman who was denied a part-time job at the front desk because she wanted to wear a head scarf for religious reasons.
The hotel also gave Hanem Zahwy a week's back pay, covered her attorney's fees and promised she could wear the scarf at work.
Philip D. Kirby, owner of the Quality Inn Governor, said Thursday that he is holding open a part-time clerk job for Zahwy, 41, and he mailed a formal letter of apology to her Wednesday.
``When we got a chance to look at it and see what the community's reaction was, we felt we had made a bad decision,'' Kirby said.
Zahwy was offered the $6-an-hour job last week, but the hotel retracted the offer after she said she planned to wear a head scarf in accordance with Islamic tradition.
After hotel officials said the scarf would violate their uniform policy, Zahwy's husband hired a lawyer.
Zahwy said she will accept the job offer.
- Associated Press
LENGTH: Short : 31 linesby CNB