A young Muslim woman claimed she was “treated like a terrorist” by a bus driver who demanded she removes her veil.
The incident took place in Bristol and the woman, aged 20, was with her two-month-old baby when the bus driver insinuated she could be dangerous because her face was covered.
The bus company has apologized to the woman for the driver’s behaviour, reported The Times.
“We would like to fully and unreservedly apologise to the customer for the distress caused when one of our drivers expressed his personal opinions,” a spokesman for First Bus was quoted as saying by The Times. “The driver behaved in an offensive fashion that in no way reflects our deeply held values as an inclusive company which welcomes all people, irrespective of background, race, nationality or religion as customers or employees.”
The woman, who asked not to be named, said the bus driver insinuated that the woman will blow up the bus. The bus driver kept saying she was dangerous and scary and repeated it throughout the journey.
“He was insinuating I was going to bomb the bus,” the woman told the publication. “How is that possible when I’ve got a baby with me? Maybe he has never seen a person with a face veil but for him to treat me like that in a public place is wrong. I’ve been humiliated in public. It’s 2018, we shouldn’t be like that. I’m being stereotyped.”
A video of the incident has been posted online and it shows a woman in a headscarf coming to the woman’s defence.
“I don’t understand why you care how she’s dressed. It’s her choice what she wears,” the woman is heard saying.
“I care because this world is dangerous. If you don’t see somebody’s face, that’s not good. In this time we live [in] we should see our faces,” the bus driver defends himself.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio with India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Washington DC last Tuesday (21)
Anit Mukherjee
V Muraleedharan
Dr Sasikumar S Sundaram
Workers clean communication equipment aboard INS Surat on January 11