Author: Fadila Gitosuputro

(COLUMBUS, OH, 10/17/2019) — The Columbus chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ohio (CAIR-Columbus) today announced the filing of a wrongful termination complaint against Walmart with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of a Muslim man.

The Muslim man began his employment at Walmart in 2004. He performed his duties competently and with merit, got promoted, and did not ever receive any warnings or complaints.

For years, the employee was reportedly subjected to a hostile work environment by his coworkers and managers. They would make derogatory comments regarding his race and religion, such as “Muslims should not be in America,” “Muslims kill Americans. . .Trump will stop that” and “Barack Obama was a Muslim and Muslims can’t be presidents.” He was also repeatedly referred to as a “boy” and “n***er.”

The employee says he complained several times to his managers and the Human Resources Department. He even called the ethics hotline to report the ongoing harassment. Rather than addressing the toxic work environment and harassment, the Muslim man’s supervisor allegedly terminated him based on a false and pretextual reason.

“The law is clear. Federal law prohibits employers from retaliating against employees for complaining about discrimination. All employees have a right to a workplace that is free from harassment and discrimination,” said CAIR-Columbus Executive Director Romin Iqbal.

CAIR has reported an unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims, immigrants and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump as president.

For more information on rights of Muslim employees at work, please review CAIR-Columbus’ employee guide. If you believe you are being harassed or discriminated against at work because of your religion or race, please submit an incident report here.

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-Columbus Executive Director Romin Iqbal, 614-783-7953, riqbal@cair.com

(TOLEDO, OHIO, 10/10/2019) The Columbus chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ohio recently filed a complaint with the Toledo Regional Office of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC) on behalf of a Toledo Muslim woman who was denied employment because of her hijab.

The Muslim woman applied for a server position at a Toledo restaurant. She was asked to come in for an interview. Later, she was informed that the restaurant owner would not hire her as a server because she wore the hijab. However, he offered her a position in the back of the restaurant as a cook or dishwasher, so she would be out of customers’ sight.

Forced to choose between removing her hijab or taking a position where she would have to hide her hijab from patrons, she contacted CAIR-Columbus to seek help enforcing her rights.

“Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 strictly prohibits an employer from segregating their employees from customer-contact positions based on the employee’s religious garb,” said Romin Iqbal, Legal Director of CAIR-Columbus. “The law is clear; no person should be forced to hide their religion at work. Employees have a right to religious accommodation of their beliefs and practices at work under both federal and state laws in Ohio.”

For more information on rights of Muslim employees at work, please review CAIR-Columbus’ employee guide. If you believe you were denied employment because of your religion or if you were denied a religious accommodation at work, please submit an incident report here.

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. The CAIR-Ohio Affiliate has three chapters – Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.

(COLUMBUS, OHIO, 7/26/2019) The Columbus chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations announced today the filing of a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) on behalf of a Muslim family.

The family was a victim of numerous incidents of discrimination, intimidation, and harassment perpetrated by their neighbor.

One of the most problematic incidents occurred when the neighbor filed a police report in which she called the family “terrorists” and accused the father of using “a jamming device to destroy her [surveillance] camera.” However, the family was unaware of the existence or locations of such cameras. The neighbor’s intimidation did not stop there. She launched xenophobic slurs at the family, such as, “I hope Trump wins again so he can send [you] people back to [your] home.”

After suffering continuous harassment and intimidation, the family sought assistance from CAIR-Columbus to file a complaint with the FHEO against their neighbor.

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. The CAIR-Ohio Affiliate has three chapters – Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.