US court backs Muslim woman denied job at Abercrombie because of headscarf

Muslim woman Samantha Elauf (right), who was denied a sales job at an Abercrombie Kids store in Tulsa in 2008, stands with her mother Majda outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, in this February 25 file photo. -- PHOTO: REUTERS.

WASHINGTON (AFP): The US Supreme Court ruled Monday in favour of a Muslim woman who claimed she was denied a sales job with fashion retailers Abercrombie & Fitch as a teen because of her headscarf.

By an 8-1 vote, the high court sided with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a federal government agency that sued Abercrombie on behalf of Samantha Elauf, on the grounds she was discriminated against because of the firm's dress code.