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Religious Accommodation in the Workplace

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For practicing Muslims across the United States, finding religious accommodation in the workplace has often been a source of frustration and confrontation. In a country that is still unaccustomed to the Islamic religion and religious practices, events have given way to a significant rise in the number of work related complaints by Muslims.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations received 135 workplace discrimination complaints for the year ending in March 1999, which was an increase of 13% from the same time period the previous year. In 1998, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received 440 complaints from Muslims; an increase of 42% since 1994.

Some of the most common complaints by Muslims in the workplace concern the wearing of the hijab, the headscarf that many Muslim women choose to wear. Several companies have refused to employ women who wear hijab, such as J.C. Penny, Taco Bell, Holiday Inn, Domino’s Pizza, Sears, Office Depot, Old Country Buffet, Pathmark Stores, United States Postal Service and Bank of America. US Airways stopped a Muslim flight attendant from working after she decided to wear hijab, citing her headscarf violated work dress codes. Dunkin’ Donuts let a Muslim woman go after she refused to remove her headscarf. Most of these cases, which are only a handful of the many cases of discrimination against women wearing hijab, were either resolved upon explanation of religious beliefs or by threatened law suits.

There have also been a number of complaints filed by men concerning the beards that some Muslim men grow. This week a Supreme Court decision ruled in favor of allowing Muslim police officers to wear beards for religious or medical reasons. The case involved the suspension of a Muslim officer earlier this year from the New York State Park Police for failing to shave his beard.

Although there has been a rise in complaints by Muslims, several companies have accommodated employees in the workplace. Watermark Donut Company, a franchisee for Dunkin’ Donuts already provided religious accommodations for its Muslim employees who make up 40% of its workforce. Employees are allowed flexible schedules for Ramadhan (month of fasting), religious holidays, opportunity to perform daily prayers, and time to attend Friday prayers. A Coca-Cola bottling company revised its policies to accommodate Muslim workers with beards so that they could continue working. Others companies have also revised their policies and have worked on other means to accommodate their Muslim employees.

It does not always take a case of discrimination to achieve accommodations for Muslims. At Harper Community College in Palatine, Illinois, footbaths were added to the bathrooms at the student center for Muslim students to perform wu’du (washing before prayers). College officials chose by themselves to add the footbaths for health and safety reasons.

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