Muslim woman sues security company, alleging discrimination

ST. LOUIS — A converted Muslim’s federal lawsuit accuses a private security company of discrimination by rejecting her for employment because of her faith and her traditional religious headscarf.

The lawsuit filed in St. Louis on Zahraa Imani Ali’s behalf against Securitas Security Services seeks class-action status.

Ali alleges that during an October 2015 telephone interview with a Securitas recruiter, Ali asked whether there’d be any issue with her wearing a hijab headscarf on the job.

Ali said she was told about two weeks later she was rejected for the job. The lawsuit claims a regional Securitas employee told the recruiter by email “I would personally sidestep this one.”

A message seeking comment Tuesday from Securitas was not immediately returned.

The lawsuit doesn’t specify the amount of damages it seeks.