“No one should have to choose between their career and religion.”
By Raif Karerat
A Muslim flight attendant for ExpressJet is fighting to be reinstated after she says the airline suspended her for refusing to serve alcohol.
Charee Stanley, 40, filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Detroit last week.
Her attorney — Lena Masri of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ — said the Atlanta-based airline initially agreed to a religious accommodation, telling Stanley another flight attendant could handle passenger requests for alcohol.
The arrangement seemed to be working smoothly until a coworker complained to the airline in early August that Stanley had been delinquent in her duties because she refused to serve the cocktails. The complaint also took an Islampphobic, noting that Stanley “had a book with foreign writings and wore a headdress,” reported CNN.
In late August the airline notified Stanley, an employee of three years who became a Muslim about two years ago, that the accommodation had been revoked. ExpressJet placed her on unpaid leave for 12 months, Masri said. She was also threatened with termination, the lawyer added.
“What this case comes down to is no one should have to choose between their career and religion and it’s incumbent upon employers to provide a safe environment where employees can feel they can practice their religion freely,” said masri, according to NBC affiliate WPTV.
Responding to parallels drawn to the case of Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who cited her religious beliefs in refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Masri stated there was no comparison:
Stanley is not a public official, she said. She emphasized that Stanley’s request to accommodate her faith was “not at the expense of anyone else.” As instructed by her employer, she reached an accord with colleagues so passengers could still get their drinks.
“She got suspended for following the directions,” Masri said to HuffPost, adding that “serving alcohol is not a central duty of being a flight attendant.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with HuffPost on Monday, the airline said it could not comment on personnel matters, but offered the following statement: “We embrace and respect the values of all of our team members. We are an equal opportunity employer with a long history of diversity in our workforce.”
Masri told HuffPost that Stanley was open to mediation, but if no satisfactory solution is reached, she and her client would consider a lawsuit.