A restaurant in Bahrain's Adliya has been shut down for allegedly stopping a veiled woman from entering the facility, based on a viral video showing one of the staff blocking a woman from entering the facility, NewsofBahrain reported. The report noted that Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority (BTEA) has launched a probe into the issue. THE WEEK could not independently verify the report.
“We reject all actions that discriminate against people, especially regarding their national identity,” the BTEA said in a statement.
The restaurant released a statement on Instagram: “We have suspended the duty manager based on our investigation. We have been serving our customers from all nationalities living in this beautiful Kingdom for over 35 years now. Ours is a place for everyone to come and enjoy with their families and feel at home. In this instance, a mistake has been made by a manager who has been suspended and this doesn’t represent who we are.”
This comes amid the hijab controversy rocking Karnataka, with pro and anti-hijab protests. Muslim religious leaders have called for a state-wide bandh on March 17 to protest the High Court judgment that upheld the hijab ban inside the classrooms, and the recent ban on Muslim vendors at Hindu temple fairs and festivals is widening the rift between the two communities, especially in coastal Karnataka and Malnad regions.