Daytime show “The Real” has been slammed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations for alleged discrimination against Muslim women.
The council’s LA office filed a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, alleging the show in February asked two women wearing hijab head scarves to “move out of camera view during a show taping.”
The council claims the women were told they couldn’t be seen in a front row, “in accordance with studio policy.”
Fatima Dadabhoy — the senior civil rights attorney for the council’s LA chapter — said in a statement, “Warner Bros. has no legal justification for removing the hijab-wearing women from the camera’s view. No studio should maintain such a discriminatory policy that prohibits people wearing religious head coverings from being seen in its studio audiences. It’s especially baffling that this particular show would want to hide their visibly-Muslim viewers, when the show purports to cater to a wide-ranging audience with its diverse cast.”
The organization claims that, “While waiting to enter the taping, studio officials told the… hijab-wearing women [that they] could not sit in the front row because they should not be seen on camera in accordance with studio policy. They complied with the request.”
A Warner Bros. Television rep said: “Warner Bros. policy is to welcome everyone and anyone into our studio audience. ‘The Real’ is a show that was created to represent and celebrate diversity. We take this inquiry seriously and are looking into the matter.”
The syndicated show stars Tamar Braxton, Loni Love, Adrienne Bailon, Jeannie Mai and Tamera Mowry-Housley. It celebrated its 100 episode in February, and has hosted guests including Ray J, Terrell Owens, Terry Crews, William H. Macy and Kyle Richards.
Mowry-Housley has previously posted on the show‘s site: “I love to be traditional and just because you are conservative or a traditional person doesn’t mean you have to be boring! …The greatest thing about America is its diversity and this show reflects that diversity. No matter who you are, there is someone at this table that will be speaking for you.”