The Marriott Louisville Downtown discriminated against four women who were turned down for housekeeping jobs because they each wore a traditional Muslim hair covering called a hijab, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a lawsuit.

The EEOC sued the hotel's owners last week in U.S. District Court in Louisville, accusing them of unlawful discrimination against the women.

Marriott officials declined to comment on the lawsuit.

"We're still reviewing the litigation," said hotel spokesman Robert Gunnell of Perits Public Relations.

The women went to the EEOC on May 25, 2005, three days after being turned down for jobs, said Kenneth W. Brown, a senior EEOC attorney.

Brown, who investigates workplace discrimination complaints, said an employment agency sent the women to the hotel, where they were told they couldn't work after refusing to take off their hijabs.

Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act requires an employer to accommodate religious practices unless it poses an "undue burden," Brown said. [Link]

Tags: Muslim, discrimination, employment, Marriott, hijab.