Much talk has been made of Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples due to her religious beliefs, even though same-sex marriage is now legal nationwide. She was then found in contempt of court and temporarily jailed before being released earlier today. Well, another such story regarding religious freedom at the workplace was reported recently, as ExpressJet flight attendant Charee Stanley was suspended by the airline for refusing to serve alcohol on flights due to her Islamic faith. She's been placed on unpaid leave and it's uncertain at this time if she'll ever work for the company again. She's since filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
After reading the entire article, Charee Stanley's case is quite similar to Kim Clark's, but not identical. Ms. Stanley's been an employee of ExpressJet for approximately three years. Two years ago, she converted to Islam and asked her supervisor if it'd be alright for the other on-duty flight attendants to serve all the alcohol due to alcohol conflicting with her religious beliefs. Apparently this request was granted and the arrangement worked fairly well for a while, until a flight attendant filed a complaint against Ms. Stanley for not fulfilling her duties as a flight attendant, also making mention of her headdress and a book she possessed with "foreign writings."
My feelings in this case are more mixed than the one involving Kim Davis, largely due to the fact the company agreed to work with Charee Stanley on the matter, did so for quite a while, and the complaint filed against her came across as a bit discriminatory toward Muslims (complaining about her headdress and owning a book with "foreign writings"? Really?). When it all comes down to it, though, like Kim Davis or anyone else, if Charee Stanley's religious beliefs interfere with her doing her job, she should probably be working someplace else. As Kim Davis is permitted to be a believer in Christianity, Charee Stanley is allowed to possess strong faith in Islam. However, religious freedom, like other types of freedom, are condensed at the workplace, and while Ms. Davis and Ms. Stanley can believe whatever they so choose while at work, they can't allow what they believe to prevent them from fully doing their jobs.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/05/travel/muslim-flight-attendant-feat/
After reading the entire article, Charee Stanley's case is quite similar to Kim Clark's, but not identical. Ms. Stanley's been an employee of ExpressJet for approximately three years. Two years ago, she converted to Islam and asked her supervisor if it'd be alright for the other on-duty flight attendants to serve all the alcohol due to alcohol conflicting with her religious beliefs. Apparently this request was granted and the arrangement worked fairly well for a while, until a flight attendant filed a complaint against Ms. Stanley for not fulfilling her duties as a flight attendant, also making mention of her headdress and a book she possessed with "foreign writings."
My feelings in this case are more mixed than the one involving Kim Davis, largely due to the fact the company agreed to work with Charee Stanley on the matter, did so for quite a while, and the complaint filed against her came across as a bit discriminatory toward Muslims (complaining about her headdress and owning a book with "foreign writings"? Really?). When it all comes down to it, though, like Kim Davis or anyone else, if Charee Stanley's religious beliefs interfere with her doing her job, she should probably be working someplace else. As Kim Davis is permitted to be a believer in Christianity, Charee Stanley is allowed to possess strong faith in Islam. However, religious freedom, like other types of freedom, are condensed at the workplace, and while Ms. Davis and Ms. Stanley can believe whatever they so choose while at work, they can't allow what they believe to prevent them from fully doing their jobs.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/05/travel/muslim-flight-attendant-feat/
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