WASHINGTON -- A Muslim woman will not be allowed to pursue claims that her boss violated her rights by pressuring her to stop wearing a head scarf to work.
The Supreme Court declined on Monday to consider reinstating Zeinab Ali's lawsuit against Alamo Rent-A-Car, a decision that civil rights groups say could affect workers of all religions.
The case predates the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Many Muslims have complained that their dress or appearance has elicited harassment or worse since the attacks.
In another case resonating with the events of Sept. 11, the court declined on Monday to reconsider the case against Oklahoma City bombing co-defendant Terry Nichols in light of the FBI's belated release of investigation documents to his attorneys.
The court's decision sends the case to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. Judges there could return the case to U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch for a hearing on a new trial.
In the case against Alamo, Ali said she was told in 1996 to stop wearing the scarf at the car rental company job or she would be transferred to another position with less customer interaction. She said her boss complained that the scarf did not match uniforms that employees were required to wear.
Woodley B. Osborne, an attorney for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and other groups, said some bosses may feel free now to discriminate based on religion.
``If you've got someone wearing a religious garb, you can say `take it off or I'll put you in the back room,' '' he said. ``It was a straightforward case. It would have been a simple thing to correct -- and timely.''
Fearing retribution, Ali said she replaced the traditional hijab scarf with a much smaller hair covering. Her lawyer said she continued to complain to superiors and was later fired as part of company cutbacks.
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