An Islamic Woman Files a Federal Discrimination Complaint against Farmhaus Burger

AUGUSTA, GA. – Lacey Enevoldsen, an Augusta local, recently filed a federal discrimination complaint against Sean Wight, a local restaurant owner, claiming she was discriminated and harassed based on her religious beliefs.

(AUGUSTA, GA) Lacey Enevoldsen wears her grey hajib.

According to the Augusta Chronicle, Lacey wearing a hijab to express her devout to Islam in the workplace is what prompted the owner to express his distaste for Muslims and not having them represented in his establishments. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is representing Lacey in this ongoing discrimination case.

Lacey emphasizes that before her conversion to Islam, her work experience at Farmhaus Burger was great. She says that the coworkers and customers are what made her experience before her conversion worthwhile.

(AUGUSTA, GA) Sean Wight, the owner of Farmhaus Burger, has a discrimination complaint filed against him by Lacey Enevoldsen, a Muslim-American.

When Lacey committed to wearing the hijab, she stated, “The Muslim community at Islamic Society of Augusta told me I did not have to wear it because they knew what was coming my way.” A 2017 Pew Research Center Study shares that U.S. Muslim women wear their hijab 38 percent of the time.

Before Lacey started wearing her hijab to work, she included management in the decision of how she should appropriately wear the hijab in the workplace by providing photos of hijab-style options.

“Even though it’s my constitutional right to express my religious choice, I wanted to include management in how I wear the hijab to avoid confusion and so that I don’t step on their toes in the process,” said Lacey.

Lacey says that when she distributed the photos for open communication purposes on how she should wear the hijab, she did not receive any response by email.

(AUGUSTA, GA) Lacey Enevoldsen meditating and praying within her home.

Lacey made it known that management was welcoming of her religious decision to wear her hijab, yet making her aware that Sean Wight would have an issue with it.

“The restaurant manager gave me a list of jobs that were hiring because he knew Sean Wight would be against it,” said Lacey.

On a day where Lacey was eating on her break at work, she said that Mr. Wight wanted to "chit chat" with her in his office. Rather than bringing in another manager to mediate the conversation, Lacey stated that Mr. Wight had the conversation with her alone in an office with no surveillance.

“He told me overtly he doesn't want Muslims representing his restaurant and if I want to continue working here I would have to work in the back,” said Lacey.

She also states after the "chit chat" that her hours were cut, which forced her to resign from her position.

CAIR-Georgia Executive Director, Edward Ahmed Mitchell issued a statement saying:

Over the past two years, our office has documented a significant rise in complaints of anti-Muslim employment discrimination. We hope that this particularly egregious incident in Augusta will lead more employees to speak, and lead more employers to follow the laws of our nation, which forbid discrimination in the workplace.

From On Labor, Karim Lahkani reports that a 250 percent increase in discrimination cases against Muslims in the workplace was caused after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Muslim discrimination is such a hot topic in the states that President Obama was challenged on his birth certificate on whether he is a legal citizen in America during his run for office. President Trump instigated the rumor on March 30, 2011, by telling Bill O’Reilly:

He doesn’t have a birth certificate. He may have one, but there’s something on that, maybe religion, maybe it says he’s a Muslim. I don’t know.

President Trump made that statement to cripple Obama’s chances in obtaining the highest position in the office.

Regardless of anyone’s’ personal dislikes of certain groups of people, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) states that the law protects not only traditional, organized religious beliefs but other religious faiths as well.

However, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center Study, almost half the American population believe that Muslims in America should be scrutinized more than other religions.

Lacey says what people fail to realize is that there are a significant number of people converting to Islam, especially white people.

“When you go to the Islamic Society of Augusta, you will mainly see Arabs and Blacks. However, most of the African Americans are converts. There are a handful of White Americans that have converted as well,” said Lacey.

(AUGUSTA, GA) Arabic Foreign Language Professor, Taji Elmor at Islamic Society of Augusta.

A Professor at Augusta University and Muslim-American, Taji Elmor, explains that Muslims and Arabs are just like any other people who just want the same quality of life like other Americans and to worship God in ways that are different from other religions.

Lacey debunks stereotypes of Muslim women being oppressed when she said, “The common misconception is that Muslim women are oppressed and beaten by their husbands. Well, women are most likely to convert to the religion than the man.”

(AUGUSTA, GA) Lacey Enevoldsen's Islamic prayer rug is laid across the floor for worship.

Lacey says the reason women convert quicker than men to Islam is that it’s a religion that honors respects, and protects its women, which can be seen in the way women dress and how Muslims pray and worship.

In the 2017 Pew Research Center Study, 19 percent of U.S. women have not always been Muslims, while 23 percent of U.S. men have not always been Muslim.

Although, racism and islamophobia are plagues that affect the growth of American society, Meghan Kristyn, a grad student at Georgia State University, gives her testament in how she overcame the bigotry passed down from her childhood.

(AUGUSTA, GA) Meghan Kristyn sitting at The Riverwalk of Augusta.

“Before the age of twenty-five-years-old, I gradually grew out of this stage of immaturity because I use to be racist and homophobic. But once I got to college, I opened up and started talking to people and realized those stereotypes aren’t true and they are nice people.”

If you are an employee that is Muslim and has experienced islamophobia within the workplace, seek assistance from CAIR. CAIR is a civil rights and advocacy organization that visions on advocating for justice and expanding the conception of Islam and emancipate American Muslims. For more information, visit www.cair.com or dial (202) 742-6420 if you have a civil rights or legal issue to address.