(BALTIMORE, MD, 3/22/2023) – The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on Whole Foods Market to investigate and take appropriate corrective action after a disturbing incident of alleged discrimination that reportedly occurred earlier this week at its location in Silver Spring, Maryland.
According to a complaint filed with CAIR, Ms. Buhite Al-Jabry, who wears hijab and is a visibly Muslim woman, was shopping at the Whole Foods Market located at 833 Wayne Avenue on Monday, March 20. At approximately 5:45 p.m., as she was leaving the store, the security guard allegedly singled her out in a crowd and approached her in a reportedly hostile way. He allegedly began questioning her in a loud, aggressive manner about her purchases, accusing her of stealing, and started rifling through the merchandise in her bags.
Ms. Al-Jabry tells CAIR she affirmed she was innocent and denied the allegations. She felt shocked and humiliated by the scene that the security guard created as passersby looked by. A sales associate arrived to compare Ms. Al-Jabry’s receipt with the groceries in the bags. After she confirmed that the merchandise had indeed all been paid for, Ms. Al-Jabry was finally released without an apology.
“No one should ever be subjected to such undignified treatment while simply trying to shop for groceries,” said CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry. “We are calling on Whole Foods Market to pull surveillance footage, investigate the circumstances, and take appropriate corrective action to make sure this kind of incident does not happen again. We encourage the supermarket chain to offer cultural competency training to its staff and third party contracted hires. Ms. Al-Jabry suffered emotional and mental distress from this ordeal, and deserves a public apology from the security guard for the unnecessarily harsh treatment.”
The civil rights group added that anyone who feels they have experienced discrimination should report it to [email protected].
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
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CONTACT: CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, [email protected], 410-971-6062