*The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission*

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# QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE WORKPLACE       RIGHTS OF MUSLIMS, ARABS, SOUTH ASIANS, AND SIKHS          UNDER THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY LAWS

Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission(EEOC) and state and local fair employment practices agencies have documented a significantincrease in the number of charges alleging workplace discrimination based on religion and/ornational origin.  Many of the charges have been filed by individuals who are or are perceived to beMuslim, Arab, South Asian, or Sikh.  These charges most commonly allege harassment anddischarge.

In order to help people better understand their rights, EEOC has posted detailedinformation on its website about national origin and religious discrimination, as well asinformation on how to file a charge.  If you think that you, or someone you know, has beendiscriminated against because of national origin or religion and want to learn more aboutexercising your legal rights, please read the information provided or go to www.eeoc.gov.

The scenarios described below are based on charges EEOC has received over the past fewmonths.  The following questions and answers are meant to provide guidance on what constitutesillegal discrimination and positive steps you can take to exercise your rights in the workplace.

## INTRODUCTION

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits workplace discrimination based onreligion, ethnicity, country of origin, race and color.  Such discrimination is prohibited in anyaspect of employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotion, benefits, training, job duties, andtermination.  Workplace harassment is also prohibited by Title VII.  In addition, an employer mustprovide a reasonable accommodation for religious practices unless doing so would result in unduehardship.  Title VII prohibits retaliation against someone who complains about a discriminatorypractice, files a charge, or assists in an investigation of discrimination in any way.  Employers with15 or more employees are required to comply with Title VII.  Most unions and employmentagencies are also covered.

## HIRING AND DISCHARGE

**I am a South Asian woman from Bangladesh.  I applied for a job at a bakery and had aphone interview with the manager.  She seemed to like me a lot and she offered me the jobover the phone.  When I came in to work the first day, she appeared to be startled by my appearance.  I have dark skin and wear a hijab.  She brusquely stated that she had foundsomeone "better suited to the job" and sent me home.  I don't know what to do about this.**

 An employer may not refuse to hire someone because of his or her religion, nationalorigin, race or color.  However, it is often difficult to find out exactly why a person was not hiredfor a job.  In your situation, it appears that you were sent home because the employer had anegative reaction to your hijab, which you wear as part of your religious and/or cultural identity. But the only way to really know is to get more facts.  You can ask the employer for anexplanation of its business reasons.

Let's assume that when the employer saw you wearing your hijab, she worried about howher customers would feel about it.  Customer preference is never a justification for adiscriminatory practice.  Refusing to hire someone because customers or co-workers may be"uncomfortable" with that person's religion or national origin is just as illegal as refusing to hirethat person because of religion or national origin in the first place.  Similarly, an employer may notfire someone because of religion and/or national origin.  This prohibition applies to otheremployment decisions as well, including promotion, transfers, work assignments and wages.

Even though you have a gut feeling that the reason you were turned away is due to yourreligious identity or national origin, a fuller explanation of the employer's business reasons wouldbe needed before determining whether the action was discriminatory.  You may contact theEEOC or your state Fair Employment Practices Agency and file a charge. We will assess the allegation and conduct the appropriate investigation.

##  HARASSMENT

**I am an Arab American man and have been a salesman at a large car retailer for five years. After September 11, my coworkers stopped talking to me, and there has been a lot oftension.  One coworker started calling me names like "camel jockey" and "the localterrorist."  I used to have a good relationship with my coworkers and enjoyed my job, butnow I dread coming to work each day.  What can I do about my situation?**

Racial and/or ethnic epithets and general workplace hostility can amount to unlawfulharassment.  While many employees feel powerless in this situation, the important thing toremember is that you have options.  Even if your situation does not amount to illegal harassment,you can still take steps to try to improve the situation by communicating with your employerabout it.

Coming up with an acceptable solution to the problem depends on your specificcircumstances.  If you have had a good relationship with these coworkers in the past, perhaps themost effective approach would be to discuss the conduct directly with them.  On the other hand, ifyou are uncomfortable talking with them about it, or if the harassment has continued for anextended period, you should notify your employer about the harassment.  Your employer is legallyrequired to take steps to end harassment.  Follow the employer's complaint procedure, if it hasone, or notify a manager or other company official.  If you are worried that your coworkers might retaliate against you for complaining, you should know that your employer has a legal dutyto protect you against retaliation.

Employers can do different things to address these types of situations.  The employer maydecide to sit down with both you and your coworkers and explain why the comments areunacceptable.  Since, in your situation, there is also overall workplace tension, another optionwould be training for all employees addressing harassment in the workplace.  If there is noimprovement in your coworkers' conduct, your employer may choose to punish the harassers fortheir behavior.  The bottom line is that the employer must take action that effectively ends theharassment.

It is possible that your employer may not be helpful to you, or might not see this as aproblem at all.  While most employers try to prevent workplace harassment, there are situationswhere an employer may condone or even perpetrate this type of behavior.  In those situations, it isgoing to be very difficult to solve the workplace problems through dialogue.  You can contact theEEOC for guidance or file a charge of discrimination at any time.  If you decide to file a chargewith EEOC, it is most helpful if you document any incidents that occur, including the dates onwhich they occurred, and the names of the harassers.   There are strict deadlines for filing charges. A charge of employment discrimination must be filed with EEOC within 180 days   or 300 days ifthe state has a fair employment practices agency   of the date of the disputed conduct.  See belowfor more information on filing a charge of discrimination.

## RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

**I am a computer specialist at a software company downtown.  As a devout Muslim, I amrequired to attend prayer services at my mosque for a short period on Friday afternoons. Obviously this conflicts with my work hours.  Can I ask for the time off to attend services?**

You can ask your employer for permission to attend services.  When an employer'sworkplace policies interfere with its employee's religious practices, the employee can ask forsomething called a "reasonable accommodation."  A "reasonable accommodation" is a change in aworkplace rule or policy to let you engage in a religious practice.  Your employer is required toprovide you with such an accommodation unless it would impose an undue hardship on theemployer's business.  This means the employer is not required to provide an accommodation thatis too costly or difficult to provide.  The key is that you should work closely with your employerin finding an appropriate accommodation.

Whether your employer can accommodate your religious practices will depend upon thenature of the work and the workplace.  Usually, your employer can allow you to use lunch orother break times for religious prayer.  If you require additional time for prayer, your employercan require you to make up the time.

There are many situations in which the accommodation of Islamic religious practices maynot impose a monetary or administrative burden on the employer   for example, allowing anemployee to utilize appropriate space for prayer.  However, each situation is different.  If theaccommodation would impose a burden on the employer that cannot be resolved, the employer isnot required to allow the accommodation.   If your employer is unsure of its obligations toprovide you with religious accommodations, feel free to contact EEOC with your questions.

**I am a Sikh man and the turban that I wear is a religiously-mandated article of clothing. My supervisor tells me that my turban makes my coworkers "uncomfortable," and hasasked me to remove it.  What should I do?**

If a turban is religiously-mandated, you should ask your employer for a religiousaccommodation to wear it at work.  Your employer has a legal obligation to grant your request ifit does not impose a burden, or an "undue hardship," under Title VII.  Claiming that yourcoworkers might be "upset" or "uncomfortable" when they see your turban is not an unduehardship.

If you or your employer has questions about employer obligations to accommodatereligious practices, feel free to contact EEOC for more detailed information. If your employer continues to insist that you remove your turban, or takes adverseaction against you for refusing to remove it, you may want to contact EEOC to file a charge.

## HOW TO FILE A CHARGE OF DISCRIMINATION

Anyone who believes that s/he has been subjected to discrimination in violation of TitleVII may file a charge with the nearest field office of the EEOC.  Persons who file a charge,oppose unlawful employment discrimination, participate in employment discriminationproceedings, or otherwise assert their rights under the laws enforced by the Commission areprotected against retaliation.  An EEOC charge must be filed within 180 days   or 300 days if thestate has a fair employment practices agency   of the date of the disputed conduct.  When chargesor complaints are filed too late, you may not be able to obtain any remedy.  Charges may be filedin person, by mail or by telephone by contacting the nearest EEOC office.  Field offices arelocated throughout the United States.  To be connected to the appropriate office, please call 1-800-669-4000.  EEOC's TTY number is 1-800-669-6820. To avoid delay, call or writebeforehand if you need special assistance, such as an interpreter, to file a charge.

The Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related UnfairEmployment Practices enforces the prohibition on national origin discrimination as it relates tohiring and discharge against employers with four to fourteen employees. If your employer has between four and fourteen employees and you feel youhave been subjected to discrimination based on your national origin, contact the Office of SpecialCounsel at 1-800-255-7688.

 For more information on discrimination against Muslims, Arabs, South Asians and Sikhsin the aftermath of September 11, 2001, please contact DOJ's Initiative to Combat Post-9/11Backlash.

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*This page was last modified on May 14, 2002.*

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