Federal laws prohibit employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of religion. The country's newest religious communities also are challenging discrimination laws in unexpected ways. Muslims want their Friday noon prayers. Sikh men are insisting on wearing turbans at all times. Evangelical Christians want to display Bibles on their desks and to hold prayers during office breaks.
Lawyers say they have seen an increase in religious discrimination suits.
Employers are paying close attention to the law, and so is Congress. A bill wending its way through the House and Senate would make it more difficult for an employer to disregard an employee's request for religious accommodation. That is a stiffer threshold than the law now provides. It has won the support of a coalition of 30 religious and civil-rights organizations that say legislation now on the books is inadequate. In case after case, the court has found that a minimal or trivial cost to the employer is enough to deny the employee religious accommodation.