U.S. Sues Company That Fired Muslim

PITTSBURGH — The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued a company for firing a Muslim worker who refused, for religious reasons, to shave his beard.

ABB Alstom Power/Integrated C-E Services fired Faieclice Bey of Pittsburgh on March 5 for violating its rule that employees must remain cleanshaven so that half-face respirator masks will remain sealed to their skin, the lawsuit states.

But the EEOC said the company discriminated against Bey by firing him instead of letting him wear an alternative respirator that could accommodate his beard.

Company officials declined to comment on the suit, filed last week, because they had not seen it.

Employers are required to accommodate the religious beliefs of job applicants and employees under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.