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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
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AMERICAN MUSLIM MEDIA WATCH - 11/13/99
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MUSLIMS QUIT JOBS IN PRAYER DISPUTE
By: Elizabeth Kurylo, The Atlanta Journal - The Atlanta Constitution,
11/13/1999, Page A; 1
Excerpts:
"Anab Aden is a devout Muslim from Somalia who prays five times a day, a
religious obligation that she never misses.
"So when her boss told her she couldn't pray at work, she was stunned.
When the boss suggested that she pray in the bathroom, she was so
offended she quit...
"...Aden is one of 33 Somalis from Clarkston who quit their jobs at
Solectron in Suwanee, where they worked in assembly-line jobs making
cellular phones. They had worked at Solectron from one to six months, and
in the beginning they were allowed to take two five-minute prayer breaks
each day...
"...The Muslim workers would leave the assembly line individually and
cover for each other so the work got done. But when a new boss started,
'everything changed,' Aden said...
"...For three weeks, the Somalis tried to negotiate a settlement that
would allow them to pray during work. They offered to subtract the prayer
time, about 10 minutes, from their 30-minute lunch break. They told the
company that it could deduct the prayer time from their paychecks. The
company rejected both proposals, Aden said.
"The Somalis said management never complained about their work. 'Each
line has to make 500 phones every day and we made more than that, not
less,' said Deqa Mohamed, 21. 'They said our work was good...'
"...In a statement from corporate headquarters in Milpitas, Ca.,
Solectron acknowledges it was asked to address 'unique religious needs of
one particular group of associates.' The company denied it told the
Somalis to pray in the bathroom...
"...In a letter to the head of Solectron in California, S. Eric Shakir,
civil rights coordinator for the Council of American - Islamic Relations
in Washington, said the Somalis are prepared to file a charge of
religious discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
"In an interview, Shakir said CAIR handled 600 workplace discrimination
complaints last year, 100 of which had to do with prayer breaks.
"'It's generally a misunderstanding or ignorance' when it happens, he
said. 'In one case in Minnesota, we had Muslims who were being told to go
outside to pray in the cold. When we wrote a letter to them, the CEO
immediately provided a space for them to pray inside...'
"...Aden and most of the other Somalis have not yet found new jobs. And
they worry about how to pay rent and meet other financial obligations.
"'We're willing to do anything we have to to pray,' Aden said."
ON THE WEB: Are the Somali workers being discriminated against? Talk
about it: www.accessatlanta.com/community/forums/
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ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be firm, but POLITE. Hostile comments can
and will be used to harm the image of the American Muslim community.)
Contact Solectron to ask that the workers be re-hired and allowed to
prayer.
Solectron Corporation
Michael E. Donner
Corporate Director, Communications
TEL: 408-956-6688
FAX: 408-957-2855
E-MAIL: [log in to unmask] COPY TO: [log in to unmask]
URL: http://www.Solectron.com/
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Council on American-Islamic Relations
1050 17th Street N.W., Suite 490
Washington, D.C. 20036
Tel: (202) 659-CAIR (2247)
Fax: (202) 659-2254
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
>>
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