(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/24/2023) — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, along with John Friend, yesterday filed an amicus (friend of the court) brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case Groff v. DeJoy.
The Supreme Court is deciding in that case whether to overturn its “anything more than de minimis”standard for how much hardship an employer must suffer from a religious accommodation under Title VII before being allowed to deny the requested accommodation. The Supreme Court set the de minimis standard in 1977 in TWA v. Hardison.
SEE: AMICUS BRIEF
CAIR’s brief explains how Muslim women in particular are often effectively shut out of the workplace for the simple act of wearing hijab. Everything from purely hypothetical security risks to the worry that bigoted customers might not do business with a company has been seen as an excuse for preventing women from wearing hijab to work.
“The Supreme Court’s de minimis standard has effectively written the religious accommodation requirement out of Title VII, at great harm to Muslims, and in particular the Muslim women whose injustices are highlighted in our brief,” said CAIR Trial Attorney Justin Sadowsky. “We fully expect the Supreme Court to correct its nearly 50-year error.”
“The standard set out in TWA is vague and does not adequately ensure that the religious beliefs of employees are protected,” continued CAIR Staff Attorney Zanah Ghalawanji. “We look forward to a new standard that allows Muslims to be Muslim in the workplace.”
“TWA v. Hardison has played a shameful role in preventing many Muslim women from fully participating in American society. The Court has an opportunity to end that here,” added John Friend.
Washington, D.C., based CAIR has consistently defended the rights of American Muslims at their place of employment throughout the nation.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR Trial Attorney Justin Sadowsky, 646-785-9154, jsadowsky@cair.com; CAIR Staff Attorney Zanah Ghalawanji, 202-742-6420, zghalawanji@cair.com; John Friend, 502-542-2455, Johnny@friendlawky.com, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com