U.K. dentist required Muslim female patients to wear head scarves

A U.K. dentist who asked Muslim female patients to wear head scarves will not be disciplined by the country's General Dental Council (GDC), the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported.

Omer Butt, dubbed the "dress code dentist" by U.K. headline writers, will be allowed to continue practicing despite asking women to cover their hair when he was practicing at the Unsworth Smile Clinic from 2005 to 2007, according to the BBC.

Dr. Butt disputed charges from two women who said he threatened to refuse them service if they wouldn't wear the scarf, according to the report. Instead, Dr. Butt reportedly said he took women aside if he thought they were Muslim; if they were, he offered them a discount if they would cover their hair with a scarf, which he provided.

Dr. Butt said that, as a Muslim himself, he wasn't comfortable looking at Muslim women with uncovered hair, the BBC reported. According to the Daily Mail, Dr. Butt is the brother of Hassan Butt, who drew controversy by publicly praising the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center before later recanting.

The GDC determined that these requests were "misconduct" but opted to allow Dr. Butt to continue practicing because he had stopped requesting the scarves, according to the report.

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