FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nordstrom employee files discrimination complaint over religious and cultural symbol
Tampa, Florida, June 24, 2025. A Nordstrom employee has formally requested a workplace accommodation and raised serious concerns of religious and national origin discrimination after being instructed by store management to remove a necklace symbolizing her Palestinian heritage.
The employee, who has worn the necklace since December 2023, says it bears a pendant shaped like the map of Palestine in the colors of the Palestinian flag. It holds deep personal and religious significance, symbolizing her identity as a Palestinian and a Muslim.
Despite this, she was told by store leadership that the necklace was "political" and ordered to remove it. After offering to wear it discreetly, an offer that was refused, she was given an ultimatum: remove the necklace or face termination.
She has now filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), alleging religious discrimination, national origin discrimination, and retaliation. The charge outlines Nordstrom's refusal to accommodate her beliefs under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Florida Civil Rights Act.
"This case reflects exactly what Title VII was designed to prevent: punishing someone for expressing their sincerely held religious beliefs, especially when those beliefs are inseparably tied to ethnic and ancestral identity. The Supreme Court and EEOC both recognize that religion and national origin often intersect, particularly for minority groups. Nordstrom had a legal duty to accommodate, not retaliate."
Hassan Shibly, Esq., her attorney
Title VII prohibits discrimination based on religion or national origin, and, as recognized by courts including the Supreme Court, these protections extend to religious expression that overlaps with ethnicity or ancestral identity. Muslims, and particularly Palestinians, often experience discrimination in precisely this intersectional way.
Nordstrom's actions raise serious concerns about Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian bias, and the unequal enforcement of workplace policies that often accommodate religious symbols from other traditions.
An EEOC investigation is underway. The employee is seeking full accountability, including back pay, emotional distress damages, and changes to Nordstrom's accommodation policies.
Media contact
Hassan Shibly, Esq.
hassan@shiblylaw.com
(407) 278-6696