Posted on 03/10/2005 2:40:02 PM PST by ambrose
DELL fires 30 Muslims over workplace prayer
Muslim civil rights group calls for rehiring, offers mediation
by OfficialWire NewsDesk
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- (OfficialWire) -- 03/10/05 -- A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called on Dell Computers to rehire 30 Muslims workers allegedly fired from a plant in Tennessee for seeking to perform religiously-mandated prayers in the workplace. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also offered to help the company and its employees reach a mutually-agreeable solution to the dispute.
CAIR said the workers were fired from a Dell facility in Nashville, Tenn., after they sought to perform the Islamic "Maghrib" prayer each day after sunset. (While the window of opportunity to perform the other four daily Islamic prayers, the sunset prayer is tied to a particular time of day and therefore requires greater flexibility and creativity on the part of employers and workers. Muslims pray each day after the break of dawn, at midday, in the afternoon, at sunset, and in the evening.)
"Given sufficient goodwill on the part of all those involved, both the employees' legal right to reasonable religious accommodation and the employer's right to maintain smooth operations in the workplace can be maintained," said CAIR Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar.
In a letter sent today to Dell President and CEO Kevin B. Rollins, Iftikhar asked that the Muslim workers be rehired pending resolution of the issues involved. He said CAIR staffers who have experience dealing with workplace religious accommodation are available to act as mediators between the Muslim workers and Dell.
CAIR publishes a booklet, called "An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices," designed to prevent just such incidents. The booklet is available by emailing pubs@cair-net.org. (Include name, address and phone number when requesting the booklet.) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires an employer to accommodate religious practices unless it causes an "undue hardship."
The Washington-based group has 31 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. 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.
Posted 3/10/2005 2:48 PM
I hear voices...shhhh...
A voice of sanity in the wilderness! All that is given can be taken away.
Honesty is a nice stab...But Truth...
Honesty is a small apartment in a city in a state in a country in the world in the universe in the reality of the Truth.
And still, the Truth is more.
He is True...He is the Creator.
He is even more than the Creator...He is Love!
That's fine, unfortunately, Christians don't seem to be allowed to gather to pray together at any/most places of work or education (though I remember reading that there is at least one prayer and/or Bible group in the WH).
If the Muslims get to do this w pay, then us Catholics and other Christians who have special services (I'm unfortunately not very well informed/read on these) get Good Friday and, perhaps, other days of Holy Obligation off or paid time off to attend services. And Jews should get there days of remembrance off w pay. As a side note - 1 of my friends works at the Corp offices of Costco and they've had Good Friday off for years.
(Sotto Voce)
what are the voices saying?
THEY SUCK BEYOND BELIEF!!
I have no good words for them.
See: Ask the Imam for their instructions...
Yeah like how many people who worship on saturday or sunday don't have to work weekends? Hey dudes you're getting pink slips...
D*mn it, I think it's speaking in arabic...let me run it through babelfish for you...
That's better. Here's what comes out.
Mr Nerks, you have been chosen at random by our computer as the winner of the Leader of The World competition. All you need do now is send us your bank debit card, a sample of your DNA and a birth certificate. After these requirements have been met, the population of the entire planet, and all that is on it and in it and under the ground and floating above it will belong to you; you will have the power of life and death over each and every individual human being and animal and be able to do with them all as you wish. They will all be powerless to resist you, you will be given a beeber and a stuner and a de-coding ring. Now, one note of caution. You must never divulge the source of this information, and never, ever tell anyone you heard my voice in your head in a cave, you got that? Because if you do, this message will self destruct and you'll be exposed as a fraud, and you wouldn't want that, would you? Oh, the password - you must have a password...
D*man! The voice stopped just as he was giving me the password...anyone have any idea of what it might be?
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
methinks it's "dingo"
give it a try!
My, grandmother, what big teeth you have.
A dingo told me to do it? Do you think that'll fly?
Remember, a password will be something that you can remember---and being that the dingo is indigeous to Oz, give it a try.
If that fails, try kangaroo or just "roo"
One of them has to work!
sure it it'll fly----I've heard worse :-)
Agreed !!
You know, when you call in for support, and you get the guy from 7-11.
Has common sense returned to America? Yahoo!!!!!
Is that a Beach Boys song?
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