Muslim woman 'terminated for wearing hijab'

New York : A Muslim woman was terminated from her job at a dentist's clinic because of her hijab.

She claimed her boss immediately took her aside and told her to remove it to keep a "neutral environment", adding that the hijab would offend patients.

On her third day of work at the Fair Oaks Dental Care in Virginia, when Najaf Khan went in to work wearing her head scarf, she claimed her boss immediately told her to remove it.

According to Khan, she was told that she would have to remove her hijab otherwise she would lose her job, and she refused, The Independent reported.

The story has since gone viral online.

Talking to the media, Khan said she was excited to begin work at the clinic and that she wanted to become a dentist.

"I was astonished because he had been saying I was doing so well. I received an email the Friday morning saying how much positive enthusiasm I was bringing to the dental office. I didn't think it was going to be a big issue. I was completely aware he might ask me, but I didn't know it would come down to the fact that if I wear it, I can't work there," she told told Fox News.

Reacting to the incident, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling for the dental clinic to reinstate Khan, as well as compensate her for economic and emotional suffering.

The Fair Oaks Dental Care clinic could not be immediately reached for comment, the Independent reported.

Commenting on her decision to wear a hjiab, Khan said  that she did not wear it on a regular basis, including at the interview, but decided to put it on after the weekend at her third day at work.

Earlier in 2008, another Muslim US woman faced discrimination for her hijab. Samantha Elauf who was not hired at Abercrombie & Fitch in 2008 because she wore a headscarf.

The company said it violated the Oklahoma store's "look policy" for sales staff. She argued that the company had violated her civil rights and won her case in June 2015.