Muslim workers return to Islamic prayer
After Council on American-Islamic Relations intervention, Muslim workers return to Islamic prayer break granted
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, Philadelphia chapter, confirmed Monday, Feb. 25, up to nine of 16 Somali Muslims have returned to work at a supply chain management company in Pennsylvania.
CAIR leaders said they revel in a victory for Islamic work place prayers as all 16 Muslim employees at Arnold’s Logistics, a Jacobs and Company affiliate, received offers for re-hire with special accommodations for Islamic prayers during the workday.
On January 9, the 16 Somali employees walked off the job in what they characterized as a misunderstanding over a new policy that limited personal breaks for all employees to five minutes.
CAIR-PA’s civil rights director met with a representative of Arnolds Logistics to resolve the situation, explaining that a five-minute break is inadequate time to perform Islamic prayers.
The Camp Hill-based company agreed to let Muslim employees take a 15-minute break to pray as long as they clock out during that time. The 16 employees were offered a re-hire under that agreement.
“The supply company offered employment to those former employees, and my understanding is eight or nine went back,” CAIR-PA Civil Rights Director Justin Peyton said to PRB News. “The others had already found other jobs.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations claims itself to be a civil liberties group representing Muslim interests.
Arnolds Logistics Human Resources Manager Amy Rafferty said while special accommodation are in place for the Islamic employees, the company is equally open to other employees with accommodation needs for their prayer rituals within certain responsible guidelines.
“We look at that on a case by case basis and make any religious accommodations pursuant to our responsibilities as an employer,” Rafferty said.
As of Tuesday, Feb. 26, no other employees had any complaints or issues regarding religious accommodations at Arnolds Logistics. “Not at this time,” Rafferty confirmed.
She said she thought the employees who did not return to Arnolds found satisfactory work elsewhere. “That is my assumption,” she said.
CAIR’s size and influence is supported by 33 regional offices, chapters and affiliate organizations nationwide and in Canada.
CAIR’s claimed mission is to enhance understanding about Islam through dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims and build coalitions that promote their issues of justice.
CAIR has been the subject of criticism as a pro-Islamist front group protecting insurrectionist activities of groups linked to terrorism and pro-terrorist organizations hiding behind a Muslim religious mask.
PRB News, by Staff Writer Martin Fisher