- Melbourne teacher Inaz Janif says she was asked to remove hijab to get a job
- She recalled demand when she was offered a job as a teenager at a coffee shop
- Scanlon Foundation reported showed 41 per cent disapproval rating for Muslims
A Muslim woman says she was offered a job as a teenager on the condition she stopped wearing a hijab.
Inaz Janif, who now works as a high school teacher in Melbourne, told SBS it was a difficult decision to make as an 18-year-old woman.
‘The first job I applied for as a teenager, I was told I could have it at a coffee shop if I stopped wearing hijab,’ she said.
Melbourne high school teacher Inaz Janif says she was offered a job if she removed her hijab
However, she stood her ground and insisted she be allowed to work with the hijab on.
‘I stayed true to myself. A piece of fabric on my head has nothing to do with my employability,’ she said.
Her observations follow a report by the Scanlon Foundation, which found 41 per cent of surveyed Australians had a negative view of Muslims, compared with just six per cent for Christians and four per cent for Buddhists.
The Mapping Social Cohension report said Australians were concerned about Muslims disrespecting Australian values.
‘This negativity is in part fed by the reality – and the heightened perception – of radical rejectionism of Australia’s secular democratic values and institutions within segments of the Muslim population,’ it said.
The report also found those reporting discrimination on the basis of their skin colour, ethnic origin or religion more than doubled, from nine per cent to 20 per cent, between 2007 and 2017.
Inaz Janif, who now works as a high school teacher in Melbourne, said it was a difficult decision to make as an 18-year-old woman.