US: Minnesota teen files complaint after Starbucks barista writes ISIS on her cup

The teen, named Aishah, was shocked to see "ISIS" written on her cup

Racism in Starbucks File photo | AFP

A Muslim teen in St. Paul, in Minnesota, filed a discrimination complaint against Target after a barista at an in-store Starbucks wrote allegedly wrote ‘ISIS’ on her drink order instead of her name.

ISIS, an acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is the terror group responsible for terror attacks across the world and has fuelled Islamophobia.

The 19-year-old teen named Aishah said that she was wearing a hijab and a mask while ordering the beverage on July 1. She added that hers is a common name and that she repeated it a number of times for the barista. Aishah also added that there was no way her name could have been mistaken for ISIS when the café’s supervisor told her that “Mistakes sometimes happen with customers' names." 

Jaylani Hussein, executive director of Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said Aishah approached them for a complaint after the grievance raised at the store was dismissed. 

A Starbucks representative said that the employee involved in the complaint was working for Target and not the coffee chain. 

 Hussein said Target's apology doesn't go far enough.

 "This is a visibly identifiable Muslim woman. She speaks fluent English without an accent. She has a name that's commonly known and known how to spell," Hussein added. 

The 16-year-old barista, who took the order should be fired, the CAIR official told Target and the café’s supervisor.