Suit Charges Military Contractor With Refusing To Accommodate Wearing of Hijab

In Houston (TX), a federal lawsuit charging religious discrimination has been filed against K.B.R., Inc. (the former Kellogg Brown & Root). The company is particularly known for its extensive work in Iraq under contracts with the military. The complaint (full text) in Tounkara v. K.B.R., Inc. (SD TX, filed 7/13/2009), alleges that K.B.R. violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by "failing to make a reasonable, religious accommodation to allow the plaintiff to wear her hijab (headscarf) in observance of her Muslim faith during her hours of employment." According to a sharply critical report by the Houston Press, Karen Tounkara, a Muslim, was hired by K.B.R. through a nursing agency to help prep its workers who were going to Iraq. K.B.R. informed Tounkara it had a policy that no employee can wear a head covering at work. It told her that she could wear her headscarf up to the company's gates, and could put it back on when she left.