The Michigan chapter of Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today announced that it has reached a settlement in its employment discrimination lawsuit filed against U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on behalf of a Muslim employee who alleged he was retaliated against with unfair discipline after complaining that he was denied a religious accommodation to maintain a beard in accordance with his sincerely-held religious beliefs.
Earlier this year, CAIR-MI filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Muslim American CBP Officer after he complained that he was unfairly disciplined resulting in loss of wages and benefits after complaining that he was denied a religious accommodation by his supervisor to maintain a beard in accordance with his Islamic faith.
SEE: Muslim CBP Officer Says He Was Punished for Keeping Beard
“CAIR-MI is happy to announce a full and satisfactory settlement with U.S. Customs and Border Protection on behalf of the Muslim CBP officer that includes a monetary compensation, guaranteed religious accommodations and trainings for administrators at the Detroit CBP offices,” said CAIR-MI’s Executive Director, Dawud Walid. “We hope that with this settlement and the underlying religious accommodations trainings that CBP will take the necessary steps to ensure that no employee is ever retaliated against for enforcing their right to practice their sincerely-held religious beliefs.”
“All employees, including federal employees, have a right to a reasonable accommodation for their sincerely held religious beliefs, it is a fundamental guarantee of our Constitution,” said CAIR-MI Staff Attorney, Amy V. Doukoure. “When individuals are entrusted with security our border, we must be able to guarantee that they can carry out their job without the influence of their own personal biases. In this case, we are hopeful that this settlement will not only guarantee that our client will be made whole and have the accommodations for which he is entitled but be a catalyst for ensuring that CBP management will have the tools necessary to ensure everyone at the border, including officers, are treated equitably.”
She noted that CAIR offers a booklet, called “An Employer’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices,” to help employers gain a better understanding of Islam and Muslims in the workplace.
BACKGROUNDER:
In the lawsuit CAIR-MI alleges that a Muslim CBP Officer was denied a religious accommodation by his direct supervisor that was later granted by the national office. According to the lawsuit, after the Officer received the accommodation, his direct supervisor began retaliating against the Officer by targeting him for unfair discipline and stripped him of his law enforcement credentials. As a result of the unfair discipline, the Muslim Officer suffered lost overtime opportunities and loss of reputation amongst his co-workers.
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CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418, dwalid@cair.com; CAIR-MI Staff Attorney Amy Doukoure, 586-943-8823, adoukoure@cair.com