Jury says Muslim hotel owner discriminated

OneNewsNow.com Staff   (OneNewsNow.com) Friday, August 17, 2012

A California jury says a Muslim hotel owner discriminated against a Jewish group during a poolside charity event in Santa Monica. The case was brought by Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, who had gathered two years ago at the ocean-view Hotel Shangri-LA, which is owned by Tehmina Adaya - a Muslim of Pakistani descent. The Los Angeles Times says hotel workers acting on Adaya's orders told the Jewish group to remove its literature and banners and to get out of the pool. The jury determined Wednesday that the hotel and Adaya violated California's Civil Rights Act, which bars hotels and other business from discriminating on the basis of sex, race, color or religion. The jury awarded more than 1.2 million in damages. Punitive damages will be determined later.