I've no regrets, says hairdresser in scarf row

[Weltschmerz]

I've no regrets, says hairdresser in scarf row
nlnews@archant.co.uk
14 November 2007

Sarah Desroisiers: “I don’t feel what I did was wrong."

AN ISLINGTON hairdresser who faces financial ruin after refusing to hire a Muslim stylist because of her headscarf says she does not regret her decision.

Sarah Desrosiers, 32, owner of trendy hair salon Wedge, in Caledonian Road, is being sued for £15,000 for alleged religious discrimination after turning down 19-year-old Bushra Noah for a job as a junior stylist because customers could not see her hair.

But Miss Desrosiers - who is planning a fundraising gig to cover her £1,500 legal costs - says she has been swamped by messages of support and will not settle out of court.

She said: "I don't feel what I did was wrong. I was expecting a backlash but the support I've got has been saying 'don't give up, you did the right thing'. I've got a lot of reaction from the Muslim community - people have said it's a matter of live and let live. She's intruded into my life and turned it upside down."

She added: "I feel she's making a meal out of it. It's not a joke - if they go with her I'll have to claim bankruptcy."

Miss Noah, from Acton, had been rejected for jobs at 25 hair salons across London but claims she felt "devastated and depressed" after Miss Desrosiers was "rude and mean" to her on a trial day in the salon in March.

But Miss Desrosiers, who opened her "urban, funky" salon 18 months ago, said: "The essence of this business is the display of hair and she's putting herself in her position. Her life is about modesty and I happen to quite like immodesty - that's what my life is about."

She added: "I'm just surviving on my own. To have this thrown at me has been very stressful. I'm just trying to get on as normal as possible."

The case is due to be heard at Central London Employment Tribunal in January.

Islington Gazette - I\'ve no regrets, says hairdresser in scarf row