(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/26/2023) — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, filed a motion for summary judgment today in Bridges v. Prince George’s County in the District of Maryland.
The motion asks the Court to rule that Prince George’s County and their contractor, the Prison Ministries of America, violated the First Amendment when they advertised a chaplaincy supervisor job for Prince George’s County Jail along with a “Statement of Applicant’s Christian Faith” that any person applying for the job needed to sign.
SEE: CAIR Lawsuit: Only Christians could apply for chaplain job at Prince George’s County jail
SEE: MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
The First Amendment prohibits discrimination in government employment on the basis of religious belief. But the Statement of Christian Faith asserted that the chaplaincy supervisor must be “committed to a lifestyle of Christianity and agree with” the Prison Ministries of America’s expressly Christian “statement of faith.”
Imam Edrees Bridges, who volunteered at Prince George’s County jail, and who has a career and graduate training in law enforcement and chaplaincy services, could not sign the Statement because he was Muslim.
“Holding out government jobs for just members of one religion goes against everything the First Amendment stands for,” said CAIR Trial Attorney Justin Sadowsky. “Limiting this job to Christians not only discriminated against Muslims like Mr. Bridges and other non-Christians, it made clear that Prince George’s County Jail was a Christian entity limited to serving Christians. The First Amendment demands more.”
“We will not go back to the pre-civil rights era where only Christians would be considered for a job opening,” said CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry.
Washington, D.C., based CAIR defends the rights of American Muslim workers, as well as incarcerated American Muslims in cases throughout the country.
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 Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, 410-971-6062, zchaudry@cair.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 Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com