Religious discrimination in the workplace: forms, causes, and legal responses

Religious Discrimination

With far reaching negative effects that have always culminated into national and regional instability, religious discrimination is not a phenomenon that came up recently. Many authors consider it as discriminations on an individual based on their religious affiliations. Accounts of religious discrimination can be traced back to the 1800s with reference to various discrimination stories that have always appeared in articles talking about religious discrimination. One such story is the story of Harry Fischel (1865-1948), a Russian immigrant who could not be given a day-off on Saturday to enable him observe the "Sabbath"; the period in which this act of discrimination occurs gives insight into the long history of religious discrimination (Friedman, 2008). Some of the recent complaints related to religious discrimination include handling of alcohol, the mode of dressing, and observing the Sabbath (Trottman, 2013).

Religious discrimination occurs in two forms: direct and indirect religious discrimination (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2009). Understanding the difference between the two forms of religious discrimination is achieved by looking at examples because there is a thin line separating the two. For instance, direct religious discrimination occurs when a Muslim employee in a Christian-dominated company cannot be promoted because his or her religious practice. Similarly, indirect discrimination may when a company issues a blanket policy that prohibits the wearing of religious headgears during the normal operating hours (Friedman, 2008).