Costco sued for discrimination against Muslim former employee
Jean Camara said he was sent to work outside after refusing to handle pork
Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
Costco, the world’s third largest retailer, is being sued by a former employee for religious discrimination at a Brooklyn branch.
Jean Camara was told to gather carts outside after he refused to handle pork under his religion. A devout Muslim, Camara is forbidden from handling pork and alcohol.
He asked to work in the electronics department but was told no positions were available.
Just 16 days are filing a human rights complaint he was fired for insubordinate conduct.
Camara was hired as a cashier’s assistant at the Costco branch in Sunset Park Brooklyn, New York, in September 2012, but he refused to touch pork products on the conveyor belt because it is forbidden under his faith.
“Just because you have a religious belief doesn’t give anyone the right to treat you different,” Camara told ABC7 Eyewitness News.
In February, the US Supreme Court signalled its support to Samantha Elauf, a 24-year-old Muslim woman who was denied a job at Abercrombie & Fitch because she wears a hijab.
The US clothing retailer said Elauf did not meet the company’s ‘look policy’. That case turned on the question of whether the employee or employer is responsible for raising religious commitments in order for federal law to protect the worker from discrimination.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments