CAIR Ohio

Suit says Muslim wrongfully terminated for requesting accommodation

(COLUMBUS, OHIO, 4/11/2013) - The Columbus chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ohio (CAIR-Ohio) announced this week that it has filed a federal employment discrimination lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio against Exel, Inc., which is a wholly owned entity of Deutsche Post DHL.

The plaintiff, Yusuf Sufi, approached CAIR-Columbus after being fired by Exel in May, 2012. Sufi was fired for requesting a prayer accommodation in order to attend his Friday afternoon prayer services. In June 2012, CAIR-Columbus filed a charge of discrimination on behalf of Mr. Sufi with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Exel declined to participate in the EEOC mediation process with Sufi.

The federal complaint filed today states that Sufi repeatedly asked Exel to provide him with an accommodation under which he could attend his Friday afternoon prayer services. Fridays were not a regularly scheduled work day for Sufi, but Exel management often assigned him to overtime on Fridays. Sufi proposed various accommodations to Exel's management, including combining his breaks, taking unpaid time off, and requesting not to be scheduled for overtime work on Fridays. Exel's management refused to consider any accommodation proposed by Sufi, and his employment was ultimately terminated by Exel in May 2012 when he asked for the accommodation again.

Both state and federal law requires employers to accommodate the religious practices of their employees unless it creates an undue burden on the company.

"This is not the first time Exel has discriminated against employees when they have asked for religious accommodation. Our office filed 18 charges of discrimination with the EEOC last month relating to the denial of religious accommodation for Muslim employees who worked at the same facility at which Mr. Sufi worked," said CAIR-Ohio Legal Director Jennifer Nimer. "This pattern of discriminatory behavior continues to be a problem at Exel."

According to the EEOC, 21 percent of religious discrimination complaints in 2011 involved bias against Muslim workers.

CAIR offers a booklet, called "An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices," to help employers gain a better understanding of Islam and Muslims in the workplace.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

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CONTACT: CAIR-OH Legal Director Jennifer Nimer, 614-451-3232, 614-946-9675, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; Romin Iqbal, CAIR-OH Staff Attorney, 614-451-3232, 614-783-7953, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Exel, Inc reportedly fired 18 employees for seeking religious accommodation

(Columbus, Ohio, 3/26/2013) - The Columbus, Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Columbus) announced today that it has filed discrimination complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against Exel, Inc., a subsidiary of DHL, on behalf of 18 Muslim employees who were allegedly fired for praying in the workplace.

The Muslim employees reported to CAIR-Columbus that they had asked the company several times for prayer accommodations, including adjusting break times or taking their prayer breaks without pay, but the company repeatedly denied any of the accommodations proposed by the employees. One manager allegedly told the employees they should pray in the bathroom so they wouldn't be seen praying. Other managers told them to "obey the rules or get fired."

In their complaints, the employees say they made an effort to resolve the dispute by trying to speak to human resources, but that Exel managers and supervisors repeatedly refused to allow them access to the human resources department.

Managers reportedly began terminating Muslim employees when they saw them praying at work. On February 8, 2013 the general manager called a meeting in which he reportedly told a large group of Muslim employees, many of whom had been working for the company for years, that Exel would not change its policies and that the company could not provide a religious accommodation. He ultimately terminated the entire group when they insisted they had a right to religious accommodation.

Both state and federal law requires employers to accommodate the religious practices of their employees unless it creates an undue burden on the company.

"This company has a history of discriminating against Muslims, especially Muslims of Somali origin," said CAIR-Ohio Legal Director Jennifer Nimer. "This is not the first time a group of Muslim employees has been fired from this company for requesting a prayer accommodation. This type of blatant discrimination cannot be tolerated."

According to the EEOC, 21 percent of religious discrimination complaints in 2011 involved bias against Muslim workers. CAIR offers a booklet, called "An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices," to help employers gain a better understanding of Islam and Muslims in the workplace.

SEE: An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices http://www.cair.com/images/pdf/employers_guide.pdf

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

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CONTACT:  Jennifer Nimer, CAIR-OH Legal Director 614-451-3232, 614-946-9675, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; Romin Iqbal, CAIR-OH Staff Attorney, 614-451-3232, 614-783-7953, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it