Indian Restaurant in Bahrain Shut Down For Refusing Entry to Woman Wearing Hijab

The incident came to light after a video of the restaurant staff blocking a hijab-clad woman went viral on social media platforms.

Viral News: An Indian restaurant in Bahrain’s Adliya has been shut down by the authorities after it allegedly denied entry to a woman wearing a veil. The event occurred inside the Lanterns restaurant in Bahrain’s capital Manama’s Adliya neighbourhood. The incident came to light after a video of the restaurant staff blocking a hijab-clad woman went viral on social media platforms. According to reports, the duty manager is an Indian.

The video was first posted on Twitter by Mariam Naji, a friend of the woman who was refused entry into the eatery.

مسخره فى البحرين
مطعم يمنع محجبه من الدخول !!! pic.twitter.com/R3Tv7rxG6H

— Abdullah M (@first78) March 25, 2022

Reacting to the video, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority (BTEA) launched a probe into the issue and has asked all tourism outlets to comply with guidelines and avoid policies that violate the law of the kingdom.  “We reject all actions that discriminate against people, especially regarding their national identity,” BTEA was quoted as saying by the Daily Tribune.

The Lanterns restaurant said on Thursday that a manager who is accused of barring the woman from visiting its premises has been fired “since this does not represent who we are.”

Later, the restaurant also issued their statement on Instagram that read, “Everyone is welcome to Lanterns as how it has been for more than 35 years that we have been serving all nationalities in the beautiful kingdom of Bahrain. Lanterns is a place for everyone to come enjoy with their families and feel at home. In this instance, a mistake has been made by a manager who is now being suspended as this does not represent who we are. As a goodwill gesture, we welcome all our Bahraini patrons to Lanterns on Tuesday 29th of March to have complimentary food on us.”

Here is the post:

 

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A post shared by LanternsBahrain (@lanternsbahrain)

The incident comes amid the hijab controversy rocking Karnataka.