'Racist' moment Muslim woman, 37, is kicked off rollercoaster at a Kansas City theme park
A Muslim woman was ordered off a rollercoaster by a theme park employee because she was wearing a headscarf.
Hadil Alqarini, 37, accused the employee at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City of being racist, saying she had never previously had a problem riding rollercoasters.
Alqarini had taken her family to the Kansas City amusement park on Friday night to celebrate the Halloween Haunt celebration.
After more than three hours of going on the rides, Alqarini and her nine-year-old son, Moe, jumped on the Prowler.
But before the ride could begin, an employee told her she must remove her hijab. He claimed it was due to the park's policy not to wear loose articles of clothing.
Alqarini tried to explain to the member of staff that she'd never run into this problem in the 24 years she's been visiting theme parks in the United States.
Before the ride could begin, an employee told her she must remove her hijab. He claimed it was due to the park's policy not to wear loose articles of clothing
Hadil Alqarini (pictured), 37, accused the employee who made the decision of racism, noting she'd never had a problem riding coasters in the past
She was ordered off the Prowler at Worlds of Fun - despite having ridden it before with her hijab on
According to Alqarini, several people came to her defence. A teenage co-worker told the employee that his Muslim relatives had no issues riding the prowler in the past, as did another man in Alqarini's group.
The employee did not budge.
'He was racist. As hell,' Alqarini told Kansas City Star.
Alqarini first attempted to contact Clay County Sheriff's department, but later filed a complaint with the park itself.
Worlds of Fun has issued a statement apologizing for the way Alqarini was treated, but insist the employee was not being racist and acted out of an 'abundance of caution.'
Worlds of Fun has issued a statement apologizing for the way Alqarini was treated, but insist the employee was not being racist and acted out of an 'abundance of caution'
The woman said she will not be returning to Worlds of Fun
'Worlds of Fun is a welcoming and inclusive place for people of all races and religions,' the park said.
'Due to a misunderstanding out of an abundance of caution regarding loose articles on riders, a woman wearing a religious head scarf was removed from a ride.
'A ride supervisor corrected the policy and apologized to the guest, who was cleared to ride. The guest opted not to ride.
'Worlds of Fun and Six Flags apologize for the incident.'
The woman was offered free tickets and fast lane passes for her next visit, but turned the offer down.
Alqarini said she would not be returning to the park, so had no need for the free passes.
