If anyone has seen a Muslim woman with a hijab — the head scarf— working behind the counter in Starbucks, let me know. As far as I researched, no one was ever observed in the area that I covered, which was mostly in the east coast US. Given the huge Muslim population residing here, though, the demography called upon my interest initially and resentment later. While no woman in hijab has been seen in Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts has the very visible Muslim population among their employees.

Any working explanation that I come up with so far is that Starbucks might have the obvious avoidance from the very visible sign of Muslim population, and they could screen those with hijab legally by asserting its ‘dress code’ even if confronted.

Dunkin’ Donuts’ starting wage is $7.25 hourly whereas Starbucks pays $9.00 from the training process. This might be just a tip of the iceberg, and a chicken and egg situation as well. All the visible Muslim women with hijab seemingly end up in those lowest paying job and the menial openings tend to accept those because the desperate workers make the best employees as anyone knows. Thus the current structure of Muslim women’s hardship is formed and enforced day by day.

Then, why don’t we organize ‘let’s wear hijab day’ and go get an interview from Starbucks, regardless of our religion and creed, in order to make it our simple fashion statement and unburdened the political meaning of hijab imposed upon the Muslim women?