Hairdresser in Norway fined for refusing client with hijab

A hairdresser in Norway was ordered by a court to pay a fine of 10,000 kroner (1,212 U.S. dollars) and other costs of 5,000 kroner because she did not allow a Muslim lady wearing hijab to enter her salon, local media reported on Monday.

The Jaeren district court made the decision Monday in the case of almost one year ago when Merete Hodne refused the access to Malika Bayan because she, according to the indictment, "did not want to touch those like her."

The hairdresser got a penalty of 8,000 kroner at that time but she refused to pay. The case ended up in court, where the 47-year-old Hodne denied culpability.

"My client is not surprised by the court's decision. We will have a closer look at the decision these days. Hodne expresses however that she will not accept the result and she will submit an appeal against it," public defender Linda Ellefsen told news agency NTB.

Bayan was happy about the court ruling and said she was not surprised by hearing that Hodne would appeal the decision of the court and she was expecting the court case to last long.

Ingrid Havarstein Eldoy, a judge of the district court, wrote that the court concluded that Hodne had willingly discriminated Bayan by sending her away because she is Muslim.

Hodne expressed in the court that she experienced anxiety when Bayan came to her salon together with a friend, both wearing hijabs. She justified her action by calling it fear of extremism.

Hodne admitted that she could have tried to behave differently, keeping calm and being polite, if she could. Endit