Do you see a pattern?

By Ed Ziegler

The United States is known for welcoming immigrants seeking freedom and a better life. The vast majority of immigrants embrace our language, customs and laws. However it appears that many Muslims have developed a pattern to change our way of life to satisfy their religion and customs.

In 2010 Safoorah Kahn, a new teacher (a Muslim) in the Berkeley, Ill., School District filed a law suit against the school for refusing her a 19-day leave in mid-semester to travel to Mecca. Her request did not meet those set forth in the Professional Negotiations Agreement between the district and the Teachers’ Union.

In 2007, at some Target stores, Muslim cashiers suddenly objected to scanning  pork and alcohol products because doing so, they said, would conflict with their religious beliefs.  They directed customers to other cashiers.

In 2012 Wegman’s Food Co. posted a sign at one of its checkout counters to appease a Muslim cashier. The sign directed customers purchasing pork or alcohol to other counters. Again, because Muslims are forbidden to consume pork and alcohol.

In 2012 Reuters reported that Imane Boudal, a Muslim and a former Disneyland restaurant employee, sued Walt Disney Co. for harassment and religious discrimination, saying that she was fired because she wanted to wear a Muslim head scarf at work.

Imane’s motive comes into question on two important points. She made her request after being on the job two years and very likely knew company policy. Secondly, Disney said it offered Boudal several options for a costume that would accommodate her religious beliefs, as well as four different jobs where she could wear her own hijab.

 At Dell Computer, in 2005, 31 Muslims walked off the job after they were denied permission to leave their workstations and pray. Council on American Islamic Relations, as they frequently do, took up their cause and pressured Dell to change its practices to conform to Islam. Dell also felt forced to give its managers training in accommodating Muslim demands.

In September 2007 the Indianapolis Airport announced that, as part of a $1.07 billion terminal renovation, footbaths would be installed in a restroom used by cab drivers—so that the Muslim drivers could easily perform their rituals required before Islamic prayers. The floor-level sinks, would be financed through airport revenue. An airport spokesman, David Dawson, insisted, “These facilities are for everybody’s use.” Who is everybody?

In 2006 San Diego’s Carver Elementary School scheduled breaks so that Muslim students could pray during school time. Also sex-segregated classes were introduced to conform to Islamic sensibilities, while at the same time, pork disappeared from the cafeteria. They also added Arabic classes to the curriculum. Investor’s Business Daily editorialized, “In effect, Carver administrators have carved out a school within a school expressly for Muslims elevating them above Christian and Jewish students.”

 In 2007 the Minneapolis Community College announced plans to construct facilities for Islamic prayer—despite having prohibited a coffee cart from playing Christmas carols on campus.

Many other schools extended special consideration to Islamic students. New York University and more than 15 colleges and universities have announced plans to install footbaths, orhad them installed. This includes Boston University, George Washington University and Temple University. And all of this at the insistence of the Muslim Student Association—a Muslim Brotherhood organization.

A little different twist with Lina Morales who, for 10 months held a job at Rising Star, a telecom company in Florida. One day, in 2004, she was eating a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich at work. She was summarily fired for violating a company rule against eating pork products on company premises. I wonder what caused such policy to be established and why there was no a warning for the first infraction.

There have been far too many Muslims accepting  positions without presenting what might be an obvious conflict, for this approach too be  coincidental. Instead they take employment only to file a law suit if their demand is not acceptable. The school demands or the cabbie actions are of a similar nature.

What can we do? We must investigate such changes that might challenge our traditions and freedom. Join others and make your voice be heard loud and strong. Do not take the easy way out, for in the future—if not questioned—it will likely hurt all the more.

Ed Ziegler is past president of the New Jewish Congregation’s Brotherhood. He can be reached at EdZiegler@embarqmail.com.