How is this classed as Racist/Discrimination? (Work Incident)

[Romire]

Last night at work, im doing the 5 - 2 shift.

During my shift, im stacking the Chips and Cokes, while assiting with customer concerns and needs and dealing with the odd call outs of the PA!

Last night around 7.15pm i had a muslim woman, come down my isle who was covered head to toe in their traditional garb, looked nice, i rarely see the full outfits, the only thing i see is her eyes.

So anyways, shes standing around looking for something near the chips, she turns around and heads back up the isle to look at more of the chips.

So after about 4 mins she stands there looking around as if she cant find something, so i walk up to her and say

"Excusme me mam, do you need a hand with anything in particular at all?"

The lady, looks at me with a spoooked look reaction, and runs off down the isle with her trolley, my manager comes up and asks me what was that about, to which i respond back "im not even sure" so i head back to stocking the cokes.

A few mins later, she returns and this time with her partner, who comes up to me and directly yells at me "HOW DARE YOU DISCRIMINATE MY WIFE!!!!"

I respond back calmley "Im sorry sir?"

He says again "You disciminated my wife!" i respond back with again "How did i disciminate your wife sir?" becuase at this moment, im confused as hell here, thinking how did i disciminate his wife?

He starts yelling at me, how im a racist australian who thinks all Muslim women who be dressed as the women in this town, etc etc and ends up leaving saying "Hes going to sue my work place for discrimination.

So my question is this:

How did this manage to turn out to be labled as "Racist//Discrimination" over me just doing my job and asking " Do you need a hand at all "?

[CSanthony]

They're Muslim, dude.

[Caiada]

It sounds like some sort of cultural difference that got blown up in your face, to be honest. I don't think any suit he'd file would actually work, so I'd just class it as something weird and hope nothing more comes of it.

[Jim the mage]

People throw the racism card at anything these days.

[Deleted]

They're Muslim, dude.

This. .

[-Raer-]

In Muslim society, it's impolite to speak to a woman (or even look her in the eyes for that matter) without her husband present. In some parts of the world, a muslim woman could be punished for you simply looking at them, or speaking to them. It's not common in the US, but I have been around communities outside the US that do practice "Sharia Law."

[schweinsteiger]

This is why i say immigrants should adapt to the country they are going to, not the other way around.

---------- Post added 2011-09-23 at 01:04 AM ----------

In Muslim society, it's impolite to speak to a woman (or even look her in the eyes for that matter) without her husband present. In some parts of the world, a muslim woman could be punished for you simply looking at them, or speaking to them. It's not common in the US, but I have been around communities outside the US that do practice "Sharia Law."

So what? Fuck that shit, no one but them are supposed to know about that, he was trying to be friendly, and they were disrespectful to him, considering they are on his country.

[Pyro1990]

Yeah, i'd toss it up to a cultural misunderstanding. I don't know much of Islamic culture but i'm pretty sure that husbands are very protective of their wives and that the women themselves are very "sheltered". She was probably startled and her husband misunderstood.

[Deleted]

You spoke to her rather than her husband, it is a bullshit tradition that needs to die.

[Romire]

You spoke to her rather than her husband, it is a bullshit tradition that needs to die.

Hmm at the point at time i didnt even know she had one

[Yotei]

Maybe she thought you were suspicious of her because you asked her if she needed anything in particular, even though you were polite about it?.. And then she through a discrimination-card because they're crazy? Either that or they just were looking for an excuse to act offended for no apparent reason, maybe the Muslim way of pranking? :P

Edit: Leyowin's makes more sense, I forgot about that. Perhaps because it's rather stupid.

[Koohii]

Don't worry about it. Just report the incident to your boss so nothing gets askew and shrug it off.

Misinformation on her part probably due to either language or whatnot. Doubt they could afford the lawers to sue your place anyways if it's a chain store.

[Fuzzzie]

This thread has a little to much potential to become a problem here. My best advice is to discuss the incident with your boss. Nothing will likely come of it.