Bowling Alley in Moselle Faces Accusations of Discrimination Against Veiled Muslim Women

"It was a Sunday afternoon, two years ago. With my husband and children, we had planned to go bowling and then have a snack. At the entrance, the bouncer showed me a sign and asked me to remove my headscarf to be able to enter," denounces Bouchra, 38, to Bondy Blog. Feryel, a 23-year-old student, also experienced this bitter experience last November, at a friend’s birthday party. "I was the only veiled person in the group," she confides, adding that her friends had warned her that she was going to be "turned away".

For "security reasons", Atomic Bowl prohibits "the wearing of headgear (cap, hat, scarf, etc.) inside" the establishment, as can be read on the sign posted on two of the four glass doors of the brand. Salma, 23, recounts that her mother was also denied access to the establishment by the bouncer who invited her to read the measure on the sign. "The rules would come from above and the security guard told us that he could do nothing about it," testifies Leïla, a victim’s friend.

With this bad reputation, the bowling alley has been abandoned by the women of Amnéville. Célia, 20, does not see herself frequenting the Atomic Bowl, which she describes as "racist". "Through word of mouth, people have understood that they should no longer go there," confirms Bouchra, who, like other people, now prefers the Kinébowl in Saint-Julien-lès-Metz. If Feryel and Bouchra did not wish to file a complaint with the courts, others had done so before them for similar cases.

In 2013, "Madame H.", filed a complaint against another bowling alley after being turned away at the entrance of the establishment while accompanying her son to a birthday party. In its decision of May 13, 2015, the Defender of Rights recommends that the bowling alley "modify its internal regulations in order to remedy its discriminatory effects against Muslim women". The brand complied, but now prohibits "all headgear, except those based on the expression of a religion, provided that the face is not