Woman Told To Remove Hijab Before Entering Denver's Pepsi Center

DENVER, CO — An American Muslim woman was reportedly told she had to remove her hijab before she could enter Denver's Pepsi Center. The mother of three was trying to watch her daughter's elementary school choir, which had been invited to sing the National Anthem at the Nov. 5 NBA game between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat.

The Colorado chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling on Pepsi Center management to investigate the employee who reportedly told the mother, Gazella Bensreiti, to "take that thing off."

"Gazella asked to be allowed to remove it in private, in front of a woman," the advocacy group said in a statement. "She was refused and subsequently subjected to public humiliation in front of staff, students and other parents, until her daughter became distraught, believing her mom would not be allowed in to see her perform."

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Bensreiti was eventually allowed to keep her hijab on and enter the arena, according to The Denver Post.

The civil rights organization held a media conference Wednesday to address what its leaders call an "unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims" following the election of President Donald Trump.

Patch reached out to Pepsi Center's Community Relations department for comment but did not immediately hear back. The arena is owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which told The Denver Post that a security agent "didn't recognize" that Bensreiti was wearing a hijab, and a supervisor had to clarify that she was allowed inside the arena.