Canadian Chat → Re: GTA is Full of Them - Another "My Rights Are More Impor

The other stuff you wrote would be debatable in a forum on Islamic practice as there are different thoughts on that but what you wrote right here is bang-on. It's possible you can even extend that to this situation with the expectation that a barber would never be asked to cut a woman's hair like a man.

If you suggested that there'd be a situation like this 20 years ago, probably the last time I went to someone classified as a traditional barber, a man who cuts and shaves the hair of men, I'd say you were crazy. "Why would a woman want her hair cut like a man!?"

But should she be denied the haircut?

I wouldn't go that far. I would say that while he may have a reasonable expectation never to cut a woman's hair, it is just as reasonable to believe that he may find himself in the odd rare situation where he would need to cut a woman's hair, and at that point he needs to reconcile his faith versus the profession he engages in while living in a country as diverse as Canada.

I'm not about to go questioning this man's faith or this woman's motives behind her complaint, but I think this whole situation is a lot of hot air over nothing. I don't see this as a gender equality versus religious rights debate. I see this as a business person who doesn't want to do business with someone. End of story. If he would have kept his mouth shut and not given her a reason why he didn't want to cut her hair, or lied and said he didn't feel comfortable cutting women's hair due to lack of experience, we wouldn't even be having this discussion right now.

If a customer walks into my store and wants something I am unable or unwilling to provide for whatever reason, do I not have the right to say no?

He had the barber chair, scissors & comb.
He wasn't out of stock in anything required except basic human decency.

Wrong. I have had numerous customers with bad attitudes walk into my store that I simply do not want to deal with and will make up any excuse to try and get them to leave as quickly as possible.

Are you trying to tell me I broke the law by refusing to do business with those people? Please.

The barber shop offered up a barber who would do it.

She's just trying to make a stand thinking her rights are more important than the barber's rights. The barber came up with a workable solution and that's that.

Our Charter of Rights, regardless of certain people's opinion's on religion does not say gender is more important than religion, they are equal. So if buddy doesn't want to take money from a woman to cut her hair because his religion says he can't, but offers her another solution, isn't he doing the right thing by everyone?

When I look at business, if someone doesn't want to sell me something, they don't have to. If they don't want my money, I'm not going to give it to them.

The Star seems to be full of these "I'm more important than anyone else stories" lately.

I don't see a problem here. As much as I hate religions he has a right to practice his religion and not do something that he is forbidden to do by his religion unless is a matter of public safety or real discrimination against someone else. He offered her a solution, she refused, end of story.

So when she walks into the next store and asks to be service only by the owner, and the owner is not available to service her will she also take them to the tribunal because she didn't want to be services by another employee?

If you don't like it don't shop there.

And it is for this reason that not only should this case be summarily dismissed, but she should also be forced to pay any and all legal expenses to the owner for being dragged into this mess.