MANAMA — An Indian restaurant in Bahrain was shut down by authorities after a veiled woman was denied entry into the restaurant.
The incident took place at the Bahrain Lanterns – an Indian restaurant located in the Adliya area of the country’s capital Manama.
Following the incident, the restaurant issued a formal apology on their social media handle.
The apology that was issued on Instagram said that the restaurant that has been in service for 35 years and has welcomed people of all nationalities in the Kingdom, regretted the mistake, made by the manager.
The veiled woman had gone to the restaurant along with her friend when the incident took place.
“Was surprised that my friend was not allowed to enter the restaurant because she was wearing the veil,” expressed the woman’s friend who had accompanied her to the restaurant, in a video shared on social media.
“Restaurants are supposed to avoid making such decisions because it is in a country where Muslims are the majority,” she added.
The Daily Tribune reported that the incident came to light after videos of a restaurant staff blocking a veiled woman from entering surfaced on social media.
The official letter also informed that the manager, an Indian, has been suspended from service.
“Everyone is welcome to Lanterns as how it has been for more than 35 years that we have been serving all nationalities in the beautiful kingdom of Bahrain. Lanterns is a place for everyone to come enjoy with their families and feel at home. In this instance, a mistake has been made by a manager who is now being suspended as this does not represent who we are. As a goodwill gesture, we welcome all our Bahraini patrons to Lanterns on Tuesday 29th of March to have complimentary food on us,” the statement posted on Instagram read.
As per reports the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority has launched a probe into the issue and directed all tourism outlets to avoid any policy that violates the law of the Kingdom.
“We reject all actions that discriminate against people, especially regarding their national identity,” the authorities were quoted by local media channels.
The incident caught the attention of Indians as the southern state of the country, Karnataka witnessed tensions over the Hijab ban in the state, followed by incidents of harassment of Muslim traders in various parts of the state.
Karnataka has witnessed an increase in similar incidents of communal disharmony in the last few months as legislative assembly elections approach the state in 2023.