Muslims Filing Discrimination Complaints at Record Levels in 2009 and 2010
Turn on the news or pick up the paper and its obvious that anti-Muslim discrimination is on the rise. A Florida pastor threatens to burn a Quran. Swiss authorities ban minarets. And the French ban women from wearing burqas. Now, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has released startling filing data showing anti-Muslim discrimination cases are being filed in record numbers.
Shortly after the World Trade Center attacks, EEOC logged 697 complaints alleging anti-Muslim bias. Last year? 1,490. A record high. In fact there were more complaints filed last year than in 2002, the year after the September 11th World Trade Center tragedy.
The increase in EEOC filings reflects the increasing intolerance towards Muslims. Mary Jo O'Neill, spokesperson for the EEOC, was more blunt. "There is a hatred, an open hatred, and a lack of tolerance of people who are Muslim," she said.
In a recent press release, the EEOC announced it was bringing charges against JBS USA, a Colorado meat packer. In a particularly disturbing case, federal officials say that JBS managers did nothing when Muslim workers had blood and meat thrown at them by co-workers and supervisors. Company restrooms have Anti-Muslim graffiti including some particularly vile references to the Prophet Mohammed written on walls. Muslim workers were denied breaks to pray and were fired when requesting a change of time of their evening break during the Islamic holy celebration of Ramadan. State officials from Colorado and Nebraska are also taking action against the company.
Earlier this year, federal authorities sued popular fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch for refusing to hire a Muslim woman because she wore a head scarf. The government also charged a Sheraton hotel in Phoenix with permitting anti Muslim discrimination by allowing employees to call an Iraqi born co-worker a "camel jockey" and terrorist. (JBS is fighting the charges.)
Unfortunately, this type of hatred is increasing. Federal and state law require employers to keep religious discrimination and hatred out of the work place. Having supervisors join in the religious taunts, as the JBS complaint alleges, certainly gives rise to a hostile work environment.
These record number of complaints show that Muslims still are having problems being accepted in American society.
Just how bad is the problem? Although Muslims make up less than 2% of the American population, last year they accounted for a quarter of all religious discrimination complaints filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.