Is it that difficult to not eat bacon or ham for lunch when you're at work? Or to eat your sandwich outside (it is Florida after all)? It seems to me this woman was not being very respectful of her employers wishes after 10 months of working there. I think she has very little to complain about if she was told that they did not want her to eat pork on company premises, (written or not). And the TV station is just plain ignorant or xenophobic for reporting on it like they do (FIRED FOR EATING PORK).
Ok, clearly the story itself is put forth in the political context of the times: those Muslims--they'll push their views on anyone. Definitely yellow journalism.
However. I'm not sure of the legal issues here. Can an empoloyee in a Kosher deli be forced to refrain from eating pork? If so, she's got no complaint. But if not, perhaps she does.
Sharia is not American law. While it may have been wiser for her simply to opt for different dietary choices, that seems hardly the point. The real question is whether or not that company's policy violates the First Amendment. What if their policy demanded that female employees don traditional Muslim attire, or not drive to work, OR not work there at all because they are female? Sharia varies from country to country, and clearly this company is demonstrating a loose interpretation of Islamic law by asking only that employees refrain from eating pork. And yeah, it might be *nice* if employees simply showed respect to their employers' religious traditions by such restraint. But that is a moot point. The question is, is such a policy in keeping with the constitution?
Journalism designed to inflame readers aside, there are real, legitimate legal/constitutional questions here.
I had a friend who worked in a Carvel ice cream place and they couldn't eat meat at work so that the store would remain Kosher. The folks at Liberty and Power at HNN seem to think this is not a case of religious discrimination, even if the reasons behind the rule are religious. However, if she were Muslim and they made her eat pork, it would be discrimination. David Salmanson
3 comments:
Is it that difficult to not eat bacon or ham for lunch when you're at work? Or to eat your sandwich outside (it is Florida after all)? It seems to me this woman was not being very respectful of her employers wishes after 10 months of working there. I think she has very little to complain about if she was told that they did not want her to eat pork on company premises, (written or not). And the TV station is just plain ignorant or xenophobic for reporting on it like they do (FIRED FOR EATING PORK).
-Mark
Ok, clearly the story itself is put forth in the political context of the times: those Muslims--they'll push their views on anyone. Definitely yellow journalism.
However. I'm not sure of the legal issues here. Can an empoloyee in a Kosher deli be forced to refrain from eating pork? If so, she's got no complaint. But if not, perhaps she does.
Sharia is not American law. While it may have been wiser for her simply to opt for different dietary choices, that seems hardly the point. The real question is whether or not that company's policy violates the First Amendment. What if their policy demanded that female employees don traditional Muslim attire, or not drive to work, OR not work there at all because they are female? Sharia varies from country to country, and clearly this company is demonstrating a loose interpretation of Islamic law by asking only that employees refrain from eating pork. And yeah, it might be *nice* if employees simply showed respect to their employers' religious traditions by such restraint. But that is a moot point. The question is, is such a policy in keeping with the constitution?
Journalism designed to inflame readers aside, there are real, legitimate legal/constitutional questions here.
I had a friend who worked in a Carvel ice cream place and they couldn't eat meat at work so that the store would remain Kosher. The folks at Liberty and Power at HNN seem to think this is not a case of religious discrimination, even if the reasons behind the rule are religious. However, if she were Muslim and they made her eat pork, it would be discrimination.
David Salmanson
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