Muslim employee asked off for religious holiday. His company fired him, NC suit says
.jpg "A refugee from Iraq who became a U.S. citizen after serving as an interpreter for the Marine Corps is suing his Raleigh-based company for discrimination after he was fired for seeking time off on Eid al-Adha.")
Hussein Altaweel worked for a telecommunications contractor in North Carolina for almost four years before he was fired “for not request(ing) PTO ahead of time for planned events,” according to a lawsuit filed in federal court Thursday.
The “planned event” was Eid al-Adha — a major religious holiday for practicing Muslims — on Aug. 23 and 24, 2018, the complaint states.
“We have our own holidays in this country,” the CEO told him, according to the complaint. “Aren’t those holidays enough for you?”
Altaweel is a practicing Muslim from Iraq and a naturalized citizen of the United States as of 2019, his attorney said in the suit.
He came to the U.S. as a refugee in 2013 after volunteering as a translator for the U.S. Marine Corps during the Iraq War. Longent LLC — the Raleigh-based contractor partnering with major networks such as Verizon, Sprint and AT&T — hired him in 2015 as a project manager, the suit states.
A representative for Longent did not respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.
According to the complaint, Altaweel was subject to a series of discriminatory practices based on his religion and national origin during his employment at Longent.
Altaweel “exceed(ed) all job requirements” and “received positive performance reviews” but was routinely paid less than his underqualified colleagues” who were of a different religious faith and national origin,” the suit states.
He was passed over for a promotion in favor of “a less qualified, non-Muslim, natural born citizen of the United States who (Altaweel) had trained,” his attorney said in the complaint.
The CEO also joked about Altaweel’s dietary restrictions, the suit states, by inviting him to try the pork he brought for lunch.
The alleged discrimination came to a head last year, when Altaweel reportedly asked for paid time off on Eid al-Adha.
“Eid al-Adha is an Islamic holiday celebrating Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Ishmael,” the suit states. “The exact dates for Eid al-Adha depend on the phases of the moon and its exact dates vary each year. Plaintiff requested the paid time-off as soon as the exact dates of Eid al-Adha were determined.”
But his request wasn’t granted, according to the complaint.
Though Altaweel asked at least two weeks prior, Longent issued him an “Employee Improvement Action Form” in November 2018 for not filing the request ahead of time, his attorney said in the suit.
“Non-Muslim and/or natural born American citizens were not cited for identical behavior,” the complaint states.
Other employees were given timely approval “for paid time-off to observe Christian and/or Jewish holidays,” according to the suit. Altaweel complained of this discrepancy to the company.
Six months later — when Altaweel’s daughter was hospitalized and he requested time off without notice — Longent fired him, citing his 2018 Employee Improvement Action Form, his attorney said in the complaint.
It was the first week of Ramadan, the suit states.
In a statement provided to McClatchy News on Friday, attorney Joseph Budd of Osborn Gambale Beckley & Budd PLLC said Altaweel is “looking forward to having his story heard.”
“As a volunteer interpreter for the Marines during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Mr. Altaweel risked his life for this country. He did that and subsequently became a citizen because he believes in our country’s promise that he will be able to pursue a career based solely on his abilities and free from the influence of prejudice,” Budd said.
“Unfortunately, his former employer did not live up to our ideals, promise, or law.”
Altaweel makes claims for discrimination, retaliation and a hostile work environment. He’s seeking economic and punitive damages as well as attorneys’ fees.
This story was originally published December 20, 2019 at 1:50 PM with the headline "Muslim employee asked off for religious holiday. His company fired him, NC suit says."
