A woman in Noblesville, Indiana, is seeking a protective order against the manager of an independent cafe after she was asked to leave for saying the sight of a 15-year-old waitress wearing a hijab had 'scared' her. Michelle Wallpe, 49, clashed with Uptown Cafe manager Alex Bevins, 37, on 22 August, in a row that began in the cafe, spread onto social media and has now reached the courts. The dispute has drawn wider attention as an example of tensions around Islamophobia and how businesses respond to discriminatory remarks made towards young staff.

Wallpe said she asked the teenage server, named Aisha, whether the cafe was 'run by Muslims', explaining in a now-deleted video that the hijab had given her a 'bad vibe' and 'scared' her. Bevins said she banned Wallpe over the 'racist' comments and received strong community support for Aisha, while Wallpe's Facebook video reportedly drew about 9,000 views and 100 largely negative comments within hours. Wallpe has since filed a court petition claiming Bevins yelled at her, exploited her fears and shared an image of her wearing a hijab at her Catholic church, calling the response 'unprofessional'.