CAIR Oklahoma is proud to share that we have assisted a client in achieving compensation for an act of employment discrimination that began over two years ago!
In 2022, our client applied for a position and was offered an interview; however, when he arrived at the office, he was denied an interview because of his beard. Although he offered to trim his beard shorter and wear a beard net at his own expense, he was told that the company would not allow him to wear a beard. He was turned away from a job that he would otherwise have qualified for simply because he is a Muslim.
Since that incident, CAIR Oklahoma helped our client submit an incident report and file it with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and advised our client through that process. We strongly advocated for this company to change its discriminatory “no beard” policy and to provide better training on the rights of employees to religious accommodations.
Finally, in September, an agreement with the company was reached. They agreed to provide a significant monetary compensation to our client, in addition to changing their policy to end discrimination and training their staff better to prevent any future incidents. Not only is our client compensated for his loss – this company will not be able to discriminate against Muslim employees again.
CAIR Oklahoma has been here to help countless clients advocate for their rights in the workplace, whether they are seeking fair accommodations for their religious practices, facing wrongful termination or failure to hire because they are Muslim, or struggling with hostile workplaces full of harassment and bullying.
Our Employers Guide to Islamic Religious Practices has helped hundreds of Oklahoma Muslims to advocate for themselves and begin dialogues with their employers to stop discrimination before it starts. We have been proud to work directly with employers, HR professionals, and DEI experts to ensure Oklahoma workplaces are fully prepared to help their Muslim employees succeed in their chosen careers. For more information about the EEOC, contact www.eeoc.gov.
