Muslim Women Accuse Laguna Beach Cafe of Booting Them Because of Their Religion

LAGUNA BEACH, CA - Seven Muslim women sued Laguna Beach’s Urth Caffe this week, alleging the restaurant kicked them out because of their religion.

The lawsuit stems from an April 22 incident in which the women were asked to leave the restaurant by an employee and then forcibly removed when the employee called the police.

Six of whom were wearing hijabs, a traditional headdress worn by Muslim women. They allege they were asked to leave under the auspices of a time limit for diners on busy nights. However, they contend the restaurant had numerous vacant tables and they were singled out for being Muslim.

“What began as a night out with some friends ended as a painful and embarrassing reminder of what it is like to be visibly Muslim—even in liberal California,” one of the women Sara Farsakh wrote on her Facebook page. “By visibly Muslim, I mean women who wear the hijab, or headscarf.”

A restaurant employee referred Patch to Urth Cafe’s corporate offices for comment where no one could be reached late Monday night.

The restaurant’s "busy time seating limit" is printed on placards placed at each table. It reads: "During our busy rush times, if you have already been at a table for 45 minutes or longer, please share or give your table to someone who is waiting. If tables are available, you are certainly welcome to enjoy Urth for as long as you desire."

The women claim that more than 20 tables were unoccupied when they were told they needed to vacate to make room for other customers. They further accuse restaurant employees of staggering their meals between 7:20 p.m. and 8:15 p.m., then telling them to leave at 8:15 p.m. when some in the group had just begun eating.

Other diners, who were white and had been in the restaurant longer, were not asked to leave, the women claim.

"Urth Caffe's expulsion of this group of women is a throwback to the days of 'Whites only' signs and colored water fountains, with Muslims now being the convenient targets of discrimination," said the women's attorney, Mohammad Tajsar.

"Urth Caffe's attempt to whitewash its upscale clientele by using its seating policy as a justification to expel those who outwardly appear Muslim is both immoral and illegal, and should have no place in Orange County's diverse community," he added.

Two other non-Muslim women also told Farsakh they had been there before Farsakh and her friends arrived and were not given the boot. Another group of women in the restaurant also said they had been there for about four hours, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"CAIR-LA is investigating the matter and is very concerned about the possible bias motive involved in this incident in wake of recent events in which Muslims were kicked off a plane or refused service simply for allegedly being Muslim," Hussam Ayloush, the organization's executive director, said on Tuesday. "No customer should have to face the humiliation of being kicked out or refused service if they are compliant with the business' policies. Public spaces, such as restaurants are prohibited from applying a business policy that denies access to services in a discriminatory manner."

For her part Farsakh summed up her feelings about the incident on her facebook post. “I can’t even begin to express the feelings of embarrassment and humiliation as police officers were called to escort out a group of Muslim women from a restaurant,” she wrote. “Shame on you Urth Caffe for your disgusting and racist treatment of paying customers.”

City News Service contributed to this report. Photo: Sara Farsakh on Facebook