Muslim Man Sues Business For Refusing To Shave His Beard Per Company Standards

True.
I presume the plaintiff is basing his claim on the following:

with the "obligation" buttressed in the Qur'an here (IV:59):

Whether or not the judge is going to buy that is anybody's guess...

 

no, the law is designed to prevent discrimination in hiring. the company is willing to hire Muslims, but the job requires them to shave their beards.

for example in another type of job which might involve toxic waste cleanup, where a worker may be required to be fitted for and wear a mask respirator which fit snuggly over his face, a beard would also be impractical and he would also be required to shave it.

however, in neither case is the worker required to change his religious affiliation.

 

I once saw a Muslim women on vacation in Florida with my wife at Animal Kingdom, who was completely covered from head to toe in 100º weather! The only way for her to breathe were small circular slits on her face. I couldn't believe it when I saw it, how terrible that must be.

 

Most hadiths don't count for much.. and I'll wager this employee is a young man... not an elder.

 

It won't be. It would be the same for asking a Sikh to remove his Dastar. You cannot fire someone for their religious beliefs without their request being unreasonable. And allowing someone to wear a Kippah, Dastar, Beard, or Hijab is not unreasonable.

 

lol well I would assume the pharmacy would be liable, not the pharmacist...

and you can still put a nametag on a darth vader uniform.

 

In all likelihood she was an American convert.

 

You're reasoning is why we have discrimination laws.

If you are of a different religion you need not apply. That is essentially what you are saying.

 

Well considering every single other guard has to be clean shaven, I see his request as unreasonable.

 

Would you ride with a female cabbie wearing a veil?

 

You're example doesn't apply here. There are no extant reasons for his beard to be shaved. In this case having a beard is not unreasonable.

 

Well, we're not talking about "most hadiths" here - these sayings come from Bukhari's collection which is considered by many to be the most authentic.

That having been said, it's a tenuous argument without a specific passage from the Qur'an to support it. If I were the judge, I would rule in favor of the defendant...

 

In general Islam is NOT about convoluted legalisms.

 

Legally it is not. Having a beard doesn't prevent him from doing his job. It isn't about being the minority or the majority. It is about whether or his request caused an undue burden on the company.

 

That's debatable. Furthermore, I'm inclined to agree with the thrust of Margot's argument that the plaintiff has a weak case - the Qur'an does NOT command Muslim men to wear beards.

 

It is HIS religion that prevents him from cutting his beard. A Muslim must take the Quran as the very word of god but his is also afforded his interpretation.

 

See my post above.

 

the extant reason is the company wishes it. the shaving of the beard does not cause an undue burden, however in the job he applied for "appearances", for the reassurance of customers, is a part of the performance. if the beard stays, he can not therefore perform his job to the satisfaction of the company's clients. the root of the legal discussion here is not discrimination since the company will hire Muslims, the root is job performance.

 

There's NOTHING in the Koran that requires a beard, nor any mention of not cutting the beard.

In Arabia which is about as conservative as you can get, men under 45 don't grow beards and those that do trim them neatly.

The only ones who don't trim their beards are the Muttaween.

 

Depends on the beard.

 

Bull(*)(*)(*)(*). He is a security guard not an actor. As I said before you cannot require a Jew to remove his Kippah and a Sikh to remove his Destar.

You are breaking the law if you fire someone because he "looks Muslim".

 

They can set whatever codes they like, but they're required to make reasonable accommodations for religious reasons, physical/mental disabilities, etc. For example, a rule saying that employees could not kneel on the floor would not excuse a business from preventing a Muslim employee from praying.

 

So you wold make allowances for a mentally retarded security guard????

 

Evidently, the plaintiff is arguing to the contrary...

 

are there any other kind?