The union representing food workers at Arizona State University said it filed a complaint with the Arizona Attorney General's Office accusing the food service company, Aramark, of religious discrimination.
The complaint, shared with The Arizona Republic, says a 19-year-old Muslim food worker was forced to remove her hijab as a condition of continuing her shift at the university's Tempe location, despite the worker attempting to offer alternative solutions.
The worker's supervisor told the employee her beige hijab needed to be black per uniform policy and that she could not leave to change it or wait for someone to bring her a replacement, according to the complaint.
But in the complaint submitted Sept. 29 to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, Unite Here Local 11 attorney Maxwell Ulin said Aramark's website showed no such requirements that headgear be black. He also claimed the worker, who has remained anonymous, citing fear of retaliation, informed Aramark leadership ahead of time that she would be wearing a hijab and was given no instructions related to the color.
Meanwhile, the complaint claims non-Muslim workers have worn colorful bandanas and bows, seemingly without issue.
Ulin asked Mayes to investigate the company for religious discrimination, saying the incident prohibited the female worker from practicing her Islamic faith, specifically the "core expression of modesty (satr), a principle she understands to be commanded by the Prophet Muhammad and reinforced through Hadith interpretation and the teachings of her local Imams."
Ulin said the worker believed abandoning the hijab was religiously forbidden, and that the union is concerned about Aramark potentially discriminating against other workers' religious practices as well.
A spokesperson for Aramark could not be immediately reached for comment. Richie Taylor, spokesperson for Mayes, said the office could not confirm or comment on any civil rights complaints because they are confidential unless the state files a lawsuit related to the complaint.
The complaint pointed to a 2025 report in the State Press, the student-run newspaper at ASU, that documented claims of Aramark workers alleging religious discrimination by the company. Ulin also pointed to the ASU undergraduate student government calling on the university in 2024 to investigate Aramark's treatment of employees' religious practices.
ASU had past incident regarding removal of hijabs
Challenges for Muslim women who wear hijabs are not new at ASU.
Four women in 2025 sued the university, along with multiple police departments, after male officers removed their hijabs while arresting them at pro-Palestinian campus protests in 2024.
The women, three of whom were former students, alleged the officers violated their First Amendment rights by denying their request for religious accommodations, such as removing their hijabs only in front of female officers. An Arizona district court judge dismissed several of their claims, though one against the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office remains.
One of the plaintiffs, Salam Jabaieh, in an interview with The Republic, said removing her hijab felt like being stripped.
"You wouldn't want somebody to take off your shirt," Jabaieh said. "I felt stripped, and I felt exposed. I felt scared. I felt humiliated. I felt small."
Taylor Seely's role covering First Amendment issues at The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com is made possible by a collaboration among Freedom Forum, Journalism Funding Partners and the USA TODAY Network. Freedom Forum does not provide editorial input.
Do you have a story about the government infringing on your freedoms? Reach her at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or by phone at 480-476-6116. She can be reached on Instagram at @taylor.azc.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Food workers union at ASU says Muslim woman forced to remove hijab
