Hairdresser and Salon owner, Merete Hodne, 47, could face jail after an incident which occurred in October 2015, concerning her refusing to serve a hijab-wearing customer was reported to the police.
In October of last year, Muslim Hijab wearer, Malika Bayan, 24, entered Merete's salon called 'Comeback Hårdesign' based in Bryne, southwest in Norway. She entered the salon with a request, she asked Merete how much money it would cost to color her hair. Ms. Hodne refused Malika's request and told her to leave the salon.
Malika reported the incident to the police, Merete soon after received a fine from the authorities of approximately €950(£800, $1060) for discriminating against her customer, she, however, refused to pay the fine.
TV2 has reported that the incident has now progressed to the Norwegian court system, where if Merete is found guilty of discrimination she will be sentenced up to six months in jail. Merete has pledged to take the trial all the way to the European Court of Human Rights via and appeal if Norwegian court found her guilty.
Merete wrote on her Facebook business page detailing the event when it occurred in October, below. She states, "Muslims without hijab or Muslims who do not live by the Qur ' an or Mohammed's teach (Hadith) are heartily welcome, like everyone else."
Merete has a history of publicly denouncing Islam with several videos of her online campaigning against Islam in Europe. She believes that the hijab is a totalitarian symbol of “evil”.