A Muslim woman who was asked to remove her hijab before entering Denver’s Pepsi Center is calling on arena management to change its policies and better train its security staff.

Gazella Bensreiti, who lives in Aurora, was asked to remove the head cover before attending the Nov. 5 NBA game featuring the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat, said Gadeir Abbas, a senior litigation attorney for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Her daughter’s elementary school choir had been invited to sing the National Anthem

Abbas and other CAIR representatives are joining Bensreiti in calling for changes at the Pepsi Center. They are planning to hold a news conference Wednesday to talk about the incident.

“It’s unfortunately all too common for Muslim women to be harassed, excluded or discriminated against because of their hijabs,” Abbas said.

A Pepsi Center employee at will call reportedly told Bensreiti to “take that thing off” or be denied entry into the arena, CAIR said in a news release. Bensreiti suggested she be taken to a private area so a woman could inspect underneath the religious head cover.

“She was refused and subsequently subjected to public humiliation in front of staff, students and other parents, until her daughter became distraught, believing her mom would not be allowed to see her perform,” the news release said. Related Articles Denver’s Pepsi Center security company responds to recent hijab controversy, releases video

South Bay family wants answers after Air Canada forces 12-year-old to remove her hijab at SFO

Bensreiti eventually was allowed to keep the hijab on her head and to enter the game, Abbas said.

Becca Villanueva, a spokeswoman for Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, said in an emailed statement there was a misunderstanding “when a security agent didn’t recognize that Ms. Bensreiti was wearing a hijab. A supervisor quickly intervened, and Ms. Bensreiti entered.”

Kroenke owns the Pepsi Center and the Nuggets. On game days, the company contracts with Argus, a private company, to run security checkpoints at the admission gates, Villanueva said.

“We have reached out to Ms. Bensreiti and look forward to engaging in honest discourse that leads to greater awareness and an opportunity to further celebrate the diversity that makes Denver such a special place,” the statement said. “While the matter is still under review, we are taking steps to modify our screening process and provide additional education for our staff.”