Muslims File Record Number of Job Bias Claims
Muslim workers filed a record number of job bias complaints last year, and the numbers are likely to be even higher this year.
Muslims have complained they were called “Osama” and “camel jockey,” barred from wearing head scarves or taking prayer breaks, and taunted about terrorism, the New York Times reports.
In the year ending on Sept. 30, Muslim workers filed 803 job-related religious bias complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a number that is up 20 percent from the prior year and 60 percent since 2005, the New Times says. Islamic groups say they have recently heard of a surge in new complaints, suggesting that there will be another increase this year.
Mary Jo O’Neill, regional attorney for the EEOC in Phoenix, told the Times that attitudes are worsening. “There’s a level of hatred and animosity that is shocking,” she said. “I’ve been doing this for 31 years, and I’ve never seen such antipathy toward Muslim workers.”
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports that job bias complaints are rising overall. For the six months ending on April 30, more than 70,000 workers filed claims with the EEOC, a 60 percent increase over the same period last year.
The newspaper cites a link between the increased claims and the poor economy. Laid-off workers who can’t find new jobs are more apt to sue, the story says. And companies seeking to thin their ranks sometimes unfairly target older and disabled workers.
