|
|
|
Wrongful termination? Muslim man takes on Whole Foods
A former supermarket worker says he was "forced to pray by a trash dumpster," then terminated from work at the Whole Foods after making a religious pilgrimage.
Wrongful termination? Muslim man takes on Whole Foods
Tomorrow, the Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) Philadelphia chapter is holding a press conference at Whole Foods in Fairmount, where they say a Muslim supermarket worker was harassed and ultimately unfairly fired from his job because of his religious practices. "At one point, he was reportedly forced to pray by a trash dumpster after supervisors prevented him from performing prayers indoors in a storage room. Moreover, he was allegedly unfairly terminated on his return from Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca," CAIR said in a statement. At Tuesday's event, CAIR is asking that the worker be allowed to return to his job.
Full press release after the jump.
PHILADELPHIA, PA, 11/7/11) -- On Tuesday, November 8, the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia) will hold a news conference to seek reinstatement of a former Whole Foods Market employee who allegedly experienced pervasive harassment by his supervisors and faced subsequent unlawful termination.
CAIR-Philadelphia will also call for other forms of redress and compensation for the fired Muslim employee.
WHAT: CAIR News Conference with Muslim Whole Foods Market Employee
WHEN: Tuesday, November 8, 1 p.m. (Eastern)
WHERE: Corner of 21st and Pennsylvania Avenue, Philadelphia, PA (Across from back of the Whole Foods store.)
RAIN LOCATION: 1218 Chestnut Street, Suite 510, Philadelphia, PA
The former employee at Whole Foods Market (2001 Pennsylvania Avenue, Philadelphia, PA) was allegedly subject to pervasive harassment and retaliation once his supervisors found out about his Islamic faith.
At one point, he was reportedly forced to pray by a trash dumpster after supervisors prevented him from performing prayers indoors in a storage room. Moreover, he was allegedly unfairly terminated on his return from Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca.
“When you go to work for the first national supermarket chain to have a Ramadan promotion featuring halal foods, you don’t expect to be subjected to discrimination or terminated because you practice the Muslim faith," said CAIR-Philadelphia Civil Rights Director Amara Chaudhry. “We hope that a company eager to take the money of Muslim shoppers would also be similarly welcoming of Muslim employees.”
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. 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.
I don't know if I buy this story. I used to work at that very store, and I remember them being very accommodating to my Muslim co-workers. They were given a private space in the community room for prayers, and some would even leave their prayer mats there. There were never any rumors of harassment (and that place loves to gossip). Sounds like he got himself fired for not following the attendance policy, which is super strict, when he took his vacation.— bikemaven- bike maven thos says nothing about attendance so where did this issue arise from above article. Anyway im all for this guy practocing his religion and going to mecca. You think a store so culturally welcoming would bemore empathetic for a one time trip. Especially when you walk in a whole foods and it screams employee happiness with signs and trinkets. Any policy that terminates for such is discrimination even if inadvertent is illegal and this employee is protected by such laws— Halal bilal
- ActiVman
- adventures
- Arts
- Ask A Man-About-Town
- Award Tour
- Awards
- Bad Idea Factory
- Beer
- Below the Curve
- Bikes
- Booze
- Brian Hickey
- BRT
- Budget
- Budget Fuss
- Business
- Casinos
- City Council
- City Hall
- CouncilMANIC
- CP Abroad
- CP in the Community
- Criminal Justice System
- Day Tripper
- Death and Taxes
- Delaware River
- Design
- DROP
- Drugs
- Dubious Distinction
- Elections
- End of Days
- Environment
- Fashion
- Film Fest
- Financial Meltdown
- FrackTrack
- Free Library
- Gambling
- Gay Stuff
- Get Lit
- Greenstorming
- guns
- Hall Monitor
- Health
- Health Care
- Hello, Kitty
- Holidays
- Ice Cubes
- Iggles
- Immigration
- In Memoriam
- Labor
- Lawsuits
- Letters
- LGBTQ
- Maps
- Marcellus Shale
- Media
- MMA
- Mummers
- Music
- MUST READ
- Mysterious Mysteries
- Nation
- News
- Non Sequitur
- Opinion
- PA politics 2010
- Parking Wars
- Parks and Recreation
- People Send Us This Stuff
- Philadelphia Police
- Philadelphia Union
- Philaphemera
- Philly From Scratch
- philly madness
- Photos
- Poverty
- PPA
- President Obama
- Print Edition
- Prisons
- Protest
- Readers Write
- Real Estate
- Rock Bottom
- Schools
- Science
- Screwing Philly
- SEPTA
- snow
- So Lush
- Soccer
- Sporting Life
- Sports Complex
- State Politicians
- State Politics
- Street Art
- Strike
- Stuff We Like
- Taxes
- Taxi Drivers
- Tech Fetish
- television
- The Budget Crisis
- The City Paper
- The CLOG
- The Human Condition
- The Mayor
- The Phightin Phils
- The World
- Things that make you go hm
- Tinfoil Hats Off
- Under the Table
- Under the Tables
- Urban Development
- Urban Planning
- urban wildlife
- Video Poker
- We Call Shenanigans
- Weather
- Web Junk
- Weekend Omnibus
- White House
- What We've Found
- Women's Issues
- Flyered Up!
- How 'Bout That Weather?
- it's always sunny in philadelphia
- Stu!
- Shopping
- get out
- 10-track mind
- ArtsFlash
- Bloggity
- Bruce Being Bruce
- Colleges
- Comedy
- Gigantic Surprises
- Hello Canary
- Hello Puppy
- errata
- get lost
- Inside The Fishbowl
- Library Closings
- Local Support
- Movies
- Murder
- Night Moves
- Recycling
- radio
- Scientology
- Sex
- Sixers
- Skeeze Police
- State Politicians Screwing Philly
- That's a cool stencil!
- Theater
- Things We See
- This Week
- This Week in Oates
- University City
- WIN
- What we don't heart
- trailer!
- what we heart
- Feeling Guilty
- Askadelphia.
- Broke in Philly
- Contest
- Dance
- Dear Paper Doll
- Do A Good Thing
- Education
- Film Fest Schism
- G20-20 Vision
- Goodbye
- Gossip
- Great American Heroes
- PATCO
- Pearl Jam Week
- Puppy
- Stars of the Photostream
- sustainability
- Lower Merion Webcam-Gate
- The Cycle
- Equality Forum
- Bureaucrat of the Week
- Animals
- ElectionEar
- Photostream
