Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) Demands DHL Give Muslim Employees Paid Time Off To Pray Five Times Each Workday.

Shipping giant, DHL, has fired 24 Somali immigrant workers for engaging in mass work-stoppage to participate in evening prayer, reports The Kentucky Post. The 24 terminated Muslims have retained legal council from CAIR in order to attempt to sue their former Hebron, KY employer for allegedly violating their civil rights. CAIR attorneys believe DHL violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when managers allegedly failed to make “reasonable accommodations” for Muslim employees to pray according to a set religious schedule. The employees said they were previously allowed to pray for five minutes in rotating shifts in groups of 4-6 before a new manager began supervising them and reversed their old manager’s decision last month. Four Days ago, CAIR filed a formal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in an effort to obtain a “right to sue letter” which would authorize CAIR to file a civil rights lawsuit against DHL. CAIR lawyers are pursuing this course of action because they believe DHL habitually discriminates against Muslims who want authorized break times to pray during working hours. DHL fired 18 Muslims in 2012 under almost identical circumstances, raising the company’s total number of terminated Muslim workers to 42 in two years.