CAIR
The Maryland and Virginia office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MD/VA) today announced that it has resolved the case of a Muslim worker who was denied the right to attend obligatory Friday (Jummah) prayers by his employer.
The employee, who works as an electronic technician for Bellsouth in North Carolina, said that he had previously been allowed to attend the prayers, but had recently been told that the accommodation would no longer be offered. The worker was thereby forced to take some Fridays off as vacation days, and faced disciplinary action if he took off more time than his usual lunch-hour.
CAIR MD/VA's Civil Rights Department worked with the employee to file an internal complaint with Bellsouth and helped negotiate an arrangement that would meet Bellsouth's concerns and allow the Muslim employee to attend the prayers.
CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, is headquartered in
Washington, D.C., and has 29 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue,
protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions
that promote justice and mutual understanding.
