CAIR THANKS PENN. RETAILER FOR BACKING WORKER'S RELIGIOUS RIGHTS - TOP
Bare Feet Shoes agrees to re-hire employee fired over Islamic scarf

(PHILADELPHIA, PA, 10/19/10) -- The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-PA) today thanked Pennsylvania-based retailer Bare Feet Shoes for agreeing to re-hire a Muslim employee fired for refusing to remove her religious head scarf, or hijab. [Bare Feet Shoes is a shoe and clothing retailer that operates some 35 East Coast stores.]

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A Bare Feet Shoes official told CAIR-PA that the district manager who fired the Muslim employee has been suspended and that the company will compensate the fired worker for lost wages. The retailer also said it will remind managers of the legal requirement to accommodate the religious practices of employees.

CAIR-PA, along with the law offices of Williams Cuker Berezofsky, yesterday filed a U.S.Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaint on behalf of the Muslim woman who was allegedly terminated on October 7, her first day as a sales associate at a Bare Feet Shoes store in Dover, Del. The woman says she interviewed for the job wearing her head scarf.

The firing occurred when a district manager visited the store and noticed that the Muslim employee was wearing a head scarf. The district manager then reportedly told the store manager that the Muslim woman must be either moved to a stock room position where she would not be seen or fired if she refused to remove her scarf.

Despite informing company managers that she wears her scarf for religious reasons, the Muslim employee was dismissed from the job in front of all other employees and left in tears.

"We thank Bare Feet Shoes for its swift response to this incident and hope the company's positive actions will remind employers nationwide of the legal requirement to accommodate religious beliefs and practices," said CAIR-PA Executive Director Moein Khawaja.

He said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to reasonably accommodate the religious practices of an employee, unless doing so would create an "undue hardship" for the employer.

Khawaja said an EEOC investigation will still take place to verify the allegations and the company's response. Any further remedies, damages and legal injunctions will also be determined by the EEOC.

In 2008, the EEOC issued new guidelines on accommodating religious beliefs and practices in the workplace. The guidelines offer protection for workers who wear religious attire such as the hijab.

Khawaja said CAIR's San Francisco Bay Area chapter filed a similar complaint against Abercrombie & Fitch earlier this year on behalf of a Muslim employee who was also fired for wearing hijab.

CAIR's Los Angeles area office recently resolved a case in which a Muslim intern at Disneyland was initially denied her right to wear hijab while at work. After CAIR's involvement, a mutually agreeable costume that includes hijab was arranged.

The Illinois Department of Human Rights recently said a Muslim family was wrongly denied access to an aquatic center after employees told them their clothing violated the facility's rules.

CAIR offers a booklet called "An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices" to help corporate managers gain a better understanding of Islam and Muslims.

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.

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CONTACT: CAIR-PA Executive Director Moein Khawaja, 215-592-0509,
E-Mail: mkhawaja@cair.com; CAIR-PA Outreach and Communications Director Rugiatu Conteh, 215-592-0509, E-Mail: rconteh@cair.com; CAIR National Communications DirectorIbrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail:arubin@cair.com

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CAIR DIRECTOR BREAKS GROUND FOR FIRST ALASKA MOSQUE - TOP
Alaska World Affairs Council invites Nihad Awad to speak on Islamophobia's impact on national security

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 10/19/10) -- Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), recently broke ground for the first mosque in Alaska and offered an address on "The Rise of Islamophobia and Its Impact on National Security" at an event hosted by the Alaska World Affairs Council in Anchorage. Awad also gave a lecture on "The Islam You Don't See on Cable TV" at Alaska Pacific University.

SEE: Islamic Center of Anchorage

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In his address to the Alaska World Affairs Council, Awad defined Islamophobia and outlined its recent rise in the United States, prompted by a vocal minority of Muslim-bashers.

Awad explained how growing anti-Islam sentiment in American society impacts the lives of ordinary Muslim citizens.

"Through the manipulation of legitimate fears and emotions, a cynical minority of Islamophobes is attempting to poison the minds of a generation of Americans and to pervert our nation's longstanding traditions of religious diversity and acceptance of differing beliefs," said Awad today.

He said the hate-filled agendas and misinformation promoted by Islamophobes who seek fame and fortune by creating mistrust and societal divisions must be exposed.

"American Muslims have a duty to help educate others about their faith, and a duty to create opportunities for dialogue and frank and open conversations," said Awad. "We must also speak out against domestic and foreign policies that are based on Islamophobia, because these policies are counterproductive, self-defeating and un-American."

In his lecture at Alaska Pacific University, Awad explained basic Islamic beliefs and practices. He said the experience of the vast majority of mainstream Muslims worldwide is not reflected in many cable television talk shows or Hollywood productions.

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.

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CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

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SHILLING FOR THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION: THE ADL'S NEW MISSION STATEMENT - TOP

By Ahmed Rehab, Huffington Post, 10/18/10

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), fresh off of several PR gaffes, recently managed to pull off another head-scratching moment by compiling and releasing a list of the "top ten most influential anti-Israel groups in America."

In other words, an organization that describes itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency that fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights for all" is spending its resources decrying American organizations that are not blindly supportive of a foreign government it likes to align itself with.

If that's not fishy enough, what the ADL's list really showcases are the top ten most influential groups that have taken a principled anti-occupation and anti-displacement position and who call for a just peace. Why does that bother the ADL? (More)

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