Sahar Sabet, a 19-year old woman from Alpharetta Georgia, went to the local Apple Store in North Pointe Mall last week to buy an iPad. When the sales representative heard her speaking in Farsi, the language spoken in Iran, the representative allegedly declined to sell them anything, citing Apple’s own policy as the reason for the refusal. Sabet is a U.S. citizen and is currently studying at the University of Georgia. “Very hurtful, very embarrassing. I actually walked out in tears,” she said. Sabet and her uncle were reportedly heard speaking in Farsi inside the store when they asked for an iPad.
Sabet said that they were planning to give the iPad as a gift to her cousin who apparently resides in Iran. The Apple employee reportedly explained Apple’s official policy, which prohibits the sale of their products (electronics/electronics in particular) to countries prohibited by the U.S. Today, the Council on American-Islamic Relations reputedly asked Apple to change its policy after hearing the report. “Apple must revise its policies to ensure that customers do not face discriminatory treatment based on their religion, ethnicity or national origin. If the actions of these Apple employees reflected company policy, that policy must be changed and all employees retrained,” CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad asserted. What do you think?
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