London, England - A hair salon owner is being sued for religious discrimination after refusing a Muslim teenager a job as a stylist because she wore a headscarf.
Sarah Desrosiers said she refused 19-year-old Bushra Noah the position because it was an "absolutely basic" requirement that customers could see their stylist's hair.
The 32-year-old, whose "alternative" salon in London specialises in "urban, funky punky" cuts, has already spent £1,000 fighting the case.
Miss Noah wants £15,000 for injury to her feelings plus an unspecified amount for lost earnings.
She maintains that her headscarf is an integral part of her religious beliefs.
Miss Desrosiers, who denies any discrimination, said: "The essence of my line of work is the display of hair.
"To me, it's absolutely basic that people should be able to see the stylist's hair.
"It has nothing to do with religion. It is just unfortunate that for her covering her hair symbolises religion."
She added: "I now feel like I have been branded a racist.
"My accountant is Muslim. I have never discriminated against Muslims. My name is being dragged through the mud and I feel victimised.
"This girl is suing me for more than I earn in a year. I am a small business and have only had my salon a year and a half."
Miss Noah, who is an experienced stylist but has been rejected for 25 jobs, was invited to the salon for a trial day in March after sending Miss Desrosiers her CV.
She claims when she arrived she was discriminated against and treated rudely after it became apparent she wore a headscarf.
Yesterday she said: "When I got there, she looked at me in shock.
"She started making excuses about wanting someone who lived locally but I knew it was the headscarf.
"She kept repeating 'You really should have told me'. She asked if I wore it all the time and I said 'Yes'. She asked if I would take it off for work and I said 'No'.
The teenager added: "Wearing a headscarf is very important for my religion and non-negotiable.
"It is about showing your modest side and being respectful in front of others, particularly males."
"I am British-born and know the urban, funky look," she added: "Just because I wear a headscarf does not mean that I do not follow the latest trends and fashions."
The case is due to be heard over three days at an employment tribunal in January.
It echoes last year's row over whether a British Airways employee could wear a cross and that of Shabina Begum, a Muslim excluded from her school in Luton for wearing a jilbab in defiance of school rules.
She took the school to the High Court but lost her case.
Last year Muslim teaching assistant Aishah Azmi was suspended by a Church of England primary school in West Yorkshire for refusing to remove her veil during lessons.
She won her employment tribunal case for victimisation but lost claims for discrimination and harassment.