(COLUMBUS, OHIO, 3/28/19) – The Columbus chapter of the Council on American-Relations announced today the filing of an employment discrimination charge on behalf of a Muslim-Somali man for wrongful termination against his previous employer.
The Muslim man began his employment at the local company in 2008. He was promoted several times throughout his time at the company, and around 2014 he became a production supervisor overseeing nearly seventy employees. Performing his supervisory responsibilities competently and with merit, he did not receive any disciplinary warnings or negative performance reviews while serving as a production supervisor.
Around 2018, the Muslim employee was confronted by Human Resources about false and malicious complaints submitted by some of his Caucasian female subordinates. The complaints were racially charged and littered with xenophobic rhetoric relating to his country of origin. Protesting these allegations, the Muslim employee informed Human Resources that his subordinates continuously discriminated against him and even ridiculed him by warning him not to leave the United States because “Trump has banned [his] country.”
Shortly thereafter, Human Resources terminated the Muslim employee without providing any reason in the termination letter. Prior to these events, no issues of his work performance were ever raised. As such, the Muslim employee strongly believes he was wrongfully terminated because he complained about the discriminatory treatment and that the termination itself was based on his race, religion, and national origin.
Seeking legal guidance on the matter, the Muslim employee turned to CAIR-Columbus. Together, they filed a charge with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and are awaiting the company’s response.
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.
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CONTACT: CAIR-Ohio, Columbus Chapter Legal Director Romin Iqbal, 614-451-3232, riqbal@cair.com