Faith McGregor launched the human rights complaint against the barbers at the Terminal Barbershop in downtown Toronto last June after requesting a men's haircut.

The woman, who wears her hair short, did not seem to expect the response she received.

The barber refused, but not because she was a woman asking for a men's haircut. The barber said his Muslim faith prohibited his from touching women to whom he was not related.

The Toronto Star reports that McGregor filed a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario saying she was treated as a "second-class citizen" because she was a woman. The barbers have defended themselves, claiming that being forced to cut McGregor's hair would violate their religious rights.

So who is right and who is in the wrong? If it were only that simple.

This is not "Human Rights Thunderdome," where two rights enter and one right leaves. This is a story about a woman who wanted a haircut and the Muslim barbers who could not give it to her.

The outcome of the trial could be considered precedent-setting, with two equal human rights seeming to come in direct conflict.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/human-rights-collide-woman-files-complaint-against-muslim-170208719.html