HA, well, muslim women swimmers look uncomfortable! hot and sticky and they can't even move in the full head to toe wetsuit! which is what I said!

And this isn't about inequality: if the women had said 'no you may not have this job because you are muslim', that is discrimination and wrong. But, if she said 'because you choose to display your faith in ways x and y, it may not be possible for you to complete certain tasks, and therefore we will choose to pick a candidate who can complete certain tasks', it gets murkier. Is it right? no. But neither, I think, is forcing vivid expressions of your faith into the public forum, where such expressions may in fact hinder your ability to do the work or serve the clients.

that said: if the OP had presented alternatives (tightly cut abay that wouldn't get in the way, or other alternative coverigns that fit the field-- wouldn't a set of scrubs with long pants and long sleeves serve to fullfill religious requirements without causing any strife?--or hijab but not niqab) and the employer still declined to hire her, that is wrong.

But who knows? maybe someone else was just better qualified for the job? i need more information before I'm willing to jump on the 'it was discrimination!' bandwagon.