MINNESOTA SOMALIS: This is too much: Cashiers

[AbdiWahab252]

Pork sales ring up issues of faith

CULTURE WARS: Clashes in Workplace Over Handling Pork


By Chris Serres and Matt McKinney
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
Thursday, March 15, 2007

Minneapolis, MN (SHNS) -- Beryl Dsouza was late and in no mood for delays when she stopped at a Target store after work two weeks ago for milk, bread and bacon.

So Dsouza was taken aback when the cashier -- who had on the traditional headscarf worn by many Muslim women -- refused to swipe the bacon through the checkout scanner.

"She made me scan the bacon. Then she opened the bag and made me put it in the bag," said Dsouza, 53, of Minneapolis. "It made me wonder why this person took a job as a cashier."

In the latest example of religious beliefs creating tension in the workplace, some Muslims in the Twin Cities are adhering to a strict interpretation of the Koran that prohibits the handling of pork products.

Instead of swiping the items themselves, they are asking non-Muslim employees or shoppers to do it for them.

Minneapolis has become a hotbed for such conflicts because of its burgeoning population of Somali immigrants, many of whom are orthodox Muslims. Last year, Somali cabdrivers at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport attracted national attention when some refused to carry passengers toting alcohol.

Shah Khan, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of Minnesota, said the Somali Muslim community is divided between those who believe it is wrong to eat pork and more orthodox Muslims who believe the prohibition extends to selling, touching or handling the meat.

He urged people to remember the extraordinary adjustments many Somalis have made in coming to the Twin Cities. "Many of these people are refugees. They may have been tortured. And they came here having never held a book in English," he said. "They're already adapting to our society. We need to adapt to them, too."

Under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers are required to make reasonable accommodations for a person's religious practices if it doesn't impose an undue hardship.

A customer's personal preferences is usually not a factor in deciding whether a religious practice is protected in the workplace, noted Khadija Athman, national civil rights manager for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington.

In most cases, a cashier should be able to call over another cashier who can scan a product and the shopper shouldn't be inconvenienced, Athman noted. "If the employee is rude and gasps at the sight of pork, then it's a different situation," she said.

Jonathan Sigelman, a local attorney, said he wasn't bothered when a cashier called for assistance after he showed up at the checkout lane with a package of turkey bacon. He explained to the cashier that turkey bacon did not contain pork, and the cashier agreed to scan it.

"It might have delayed my purchase 15 seconds at the most," Sigelman said.

Some legal experts said cashiers who avoid pork in a checkout line are different from taxi drivers at the airport who refuse customers carrying alcohol. "I think in general we expect taxi drivers to pick up all fares," said Eric Janus, the vice dean of William Mitchell College of Law. "That's part of what it means to be a taxi driver."

Source: Star Tribune, Mar 15, 2007

[Ismahan445]

Wear a glove for god sake. The cab drivers issues is just redicules....these people either need to get other jobs or stop complaining walaahi.

[Bagamundo]

These wadaado beenloowayaal are just getting ridiclous by the day. How stupid can this get?


I mean, why are they bringing all these negative attention to our religion?


Let's admit, these knuckle heads don't represent Islam nor do they know jack sh!t about Islam, yet they act as if they're the sinless breeds.

I suggest they pack their bags and go to the next arab country where they won't have to deal with such a hardship as to handling pork.

[Reuter]

"It made me wonder why this person took a job as a cashier."







Walaahi these Gaalos really need a life. I mean WHO goes to a newspaper to complain about some hijaabed cashier made her pick her own filthy pork and scan it. For Gods sake- where does she get time to contact newspaper?? Americans can be really pathetic and narrow minded. And idle apparently looooooooooooooooooool

[Dhaga Bacayl]

I hate these fake religious Somalis. They all lied about their living arrangement in order to get Section 8 voucher and welfare cash. Some of them go far enough by saying my children are bastards.

The store sells pork and alcohol. Your paycheck is a product of such. Just because you don't want to scan it doesn't mean you’re being cleaned from it.

Just don't work there!

Simple as that.

[AbdiWahab252]

Dhaga .... Well put.


ISamahan, When you work at a place, you know what you are getting into. It shouldn't come as a surprise that you might sell pork or alcohol or drive two people who drink.

This whole nonsense makes us look bad.

[Bagamundo]

These fatwa giving bastards don't know what they're getting into. The act of looking piety infront of others is perhaps more dignifying than the negative out come of their stupid action.

[Ismahan445]

AW

There is nothing wrong with practicing your faith. However, you can't take up a job and compalin about the very duties the are esstenial to perform your job. Why can't these folks find suitable jobs where they are comfortable with their duties. This is absurd walaahi.

[AbdiWahab252]

Isamahan,

I agree. Everyone knows what they are getting into when they go for the interview.

PLus, the bacon is in a plastic covering and you aren't forcing them to eat it or cooking it for them.

[Ismahan445]

AW, I just don't get it walaahi. I wonder why are the community member not advising these fools. Who is speaking for them I wonder.

[Ismahan445]

AW, I just don't get it walaahi. I wonder why are the community member not advising these fools. Who is speaking for them I wonder.

[Dhaga Bacayl]

A/W

How about those who deliver Pizza?

How about truck drivers transporting goodz including Pork and alcohol?

How about hotel receptionist? They promote hotels that houses all kind activities.

Somali teenagers who work at McDonalds?

[Ina Baxar]

nonsense

[Lacageylacag]

May Allah bless those brothers and sisters who struggle to uphold their diin.
As you can see from above the biggest hurdle is to over come the uncivilised somali munafuq who is worse than the kufar.They are embarassed to fight for their rights.

We started working for a company under worse conditions.
After four years, pork is out of the shop main floor line.It has been moved to a special section with its special kufar cashiers.
We also have a spacious prayer hall while before we were not even allowed to pray.
Now we want a purpose built mosque in the shop compound and muslims from the local community will use our mosque.
If I look back I am really proud and the muslim idiots who sided with the kufars have mostly left or sacked.

[e!]

A new day a new embarrassment