Muslim teen kicked off bus, claims religious discrimination

Rasa - A Utah family has hired an attorney after their 9th-grade daughter was asked twice to get off a school bus, claiming discrimination because of their Muslim religion.

News ID: 426520

Date: 13 January 2017 - 21:46

RNA - A Utah family has hired an attorney after their 9th-grade daughter was asked twice to get off a school bus, claiming discrimination because of their Muslim religion.

Janna Bakeer, 15, a freshman at Provo's Timpview High School, said she just wants an apology and said that the bus driver embarrassed her over the loudspeaker, identifying her only by the blue hijab she was wearing.

"It's a part of who I am and where I come from and a part of my religion," she said. "Every day, I match my hijab with my outfits."

But in November, she felt singled out when she boarded a bus to head home -- a bus the school district says she was not assigned to ride.

"... the bus driver, she got her speaker and I was wearing a blue scarf," Bakeer said. "And she's like, 'Hey, you with that blue thing, you don't ride this bus and I've never seen you ride it so get off."

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