A Muslim flight attendant has filed a discrimination complaint against ExpressAir after she claims she was suspended for refusing to serve alcohol.
Charee Stanley, who has been an employee at ExpressJet for three years and converted to Islam a year ago, only found out recently that sharia law forbids her from serving alcohol as well as drinking it, reports CBS News.
She said she informed her supervisor of the problem in June, and was told to work out an arrangement with a colleague to allow passengers to get their drinks.
However in August another steward with the airline filed a complaint about Stanley refusing to serve alcoholic drinks.
The flight attendant has now filed a discrimination complaint against the carrier, saying they are required to make ‘reasonable accommodation’ of her beliefs.
Lena Masri, an attorney for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Michigan, told a news conference on Tuesday: "We notified ExpressJet Airlines of its obligation under the law to reasonably accommodate Ms. Stanley’s religious beliefs.
"Instead, ExpressJet chose to violate Ms. Stanely’s constitutional rights, placed her on administrative leave for 12 months, after which her employment may be administratively terminated."
An airline spokesman said to CBS: "At ExpressJet, we embrace and respect the values of all of our team members.
"As Ms. Stanley is an employee, we are not able to comment on her personnel matters."
