The fasting, which lasts a month, is one of the five pillars of the Muslim religion. The month, based on the Muslim lunar calendar, requires Muslims to fast from sunrise until sunset. The fast is a method of purification, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Swift has hired hundreds of Somalis — as well as Ethiopians, Eritreans, Sudanese, Cameroonians and Congolese — in the past two years... The Somalis — about 1,085 came to Colorado in the last year — have come to the United States under the United Nations resettlement program for refugees.
Brianna Castillo, a non-Muslim JBS Swift worker told the Tribune Friday, “The Somalis are running our plant. They are telling us what do to.”
Joe Rios, a day-shifter for nine months at Swift, said he felt the Somalis were asking for special treatment and “taking advantage of our kindness” in America.
He said “most of us” at Swift are Catholic and observe a month of Lent each year without seeking work concessions based on religion.
http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20080909/NEWS/109089983/1001
Many years ago, in Spain, my mother hired a Moroccan man to work in the yard. That was when Spain was a Catholic country, and North Africans came to work during the summer and then returned home. Nobody gave a thought to religion. One day my mother offered the man a glass of cold water, as it was extremely hot and he was digging out something or another. He thanked her and explained it was Ramadan and he could not drink until sunset. He never asked for special accomodations, worked just as hard as ever. As for my mother, she was sure the man would die in her back yard! At the end of the day, he asked if he could come back the next day. They had a good discussion, he would not budge and my mother felt it would not be fair not to hire him because of his religious activities. So, they compromised: if he felt sick, nauseous... he was to lie in the shade. He never did. There’s more than religious practices involved when Muslims start demanding accomodations. I believe that most of them are trying to usher the era when (supposedly) Islam rules over the world. I have news for them. I’ve read the end of the book and we win!
Thanks geo.