SOUTHFIELD — The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) this week filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaint against a McDonald’s restaurant in that state on behalf of a Muslim who alleges denial of employment based on her ethnicity and religion.The Muslim job applicant reported to CAIR-MI that she recently applied for employment at a McDonald’s restaurant in Rochester Hills, Mich. During the interview, she alleges that one of the restaurant managers asked about her nationality and ethnicity and informed her that wearing an Islamic head scarf, or hijab, would be a problem.The applicant contacted the manager within a week after the interview to inquire about possible employment and was informed that someone else was selected for the position. [NOTE: The restaurant is in close proximity to one of the largest mosques in the state of Michigan.]”We urge McDonald’s to take immediate action to bring its hiring policies into compliance with long-established legal guidelines on reasonable religious accommodation in the workplace,” said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid.He noted that in 2008, CAIR-MI raised concerns with McDonald’s regarding two similar incidents in which Muslim women alleged being denied employment because of hijab.Renowned Israeli speaks for peaceDETROIT — The Michigan Coalition for Human Rights (MCHR) presents Professor of Anthropology Jeff Halper in lecture and discussion Monday, April 19th at 7:30 pm at Royal Oak First United Methodist Church, 320 W. 7th Street (at Lafayette) Royal Oak, Michigan 48067. Professor Halper explores avenues for a genuine and lasting peace based on guarantees for dignity and human rights for all people. Jeff Halper cofounded the Israeli Committee against House Demolition (ICAHD) in 1997. ICAHD reports that, since 1967, the Israeli military and Israeli civil authorities have destroyed more than 18,000 Palestinian homes in the Occupied Territories. He has led ICAHD in its ongoing effort to foster communication and reconciliation.  The group works with a wide range of organizations, including the Rabbis for Human Rights, B’t Selem, Gush Shalom, the Alternative Information Center, the Land Defense Committee, the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee (PARC), and Rapprochement. Halper is the author of “An Israeli in Palestine: Resisting Dispossession, Redeeming Israel,” and “Between Redemption and Revival: The Jewish Yishuv in Jerusalem in the Nineteenth Century.” He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in 2006.A donation of $5 is suggested. For more information, call 313.579.9071, or visit //www.mchr.org.ACCESS to host health care reform forum DEARBORN — With health care reform at the forefront of current events, a deeper understanding of its effects on ethnic and lower-income communities is essential. Community leaders, policymakers and people who have a major stake in the health and well-being of others can learn more about federal reform’s impact on state and local communities at Health Care Reform: Challenges, Opportunities and Strategies for Minority Communities, from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Friday, April 30, 2010 at the Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Ave., Dearborn.

Professor Halper

Speakers include Dr. Adnan Hammad of ACCESS, and Herbert C. Smitherman, Jr. from the Wayne State University School of Medicine, and a panel with representatives from Families USA, the Michigan Department of Community Health, and the Michigan Primary Care Association.This is an important opportunity for community leaders and health care providers to learn about the new federal health policy, offer feedback and share success strategies. Seating for the free forum is limited. To reserve a spot, contact Nina Bakri at 313.216.2235 or nbakri@accesscommunity.org by April 25. The event is hosted by the ACCESS Community Health & Research Center with sponsorship from the National Health Policy Training Alliance for Communities of Color, www.healthpolicyalliance.org, with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. EEOC files suit against Washington restaurantWASHINGTON, D.C.  — A lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Monday, April 12 alleges that two employees of the Monocle Restaurant were subjected to a hostile work environment based on their religion and national origin.According to the complaint, Faissal Chtaiti, who is Moroccan, and Hilal Suboh, who is Palestinian, were harassed based on their religion and national origin by the restaurant’s general manager. Both men are Muslim.The two men were both employed as waiters at the Monocle Restaurant in Washington, D.C. and charged that derogatory comments were used towards them from December 2004 through December 2007.According to the lawsuit, the men were referred to by names such as “Arab dog,” “Stupid Muslim,” and “Crazy Muslim.” The general manager also allegedly told them to “Go back to the Sahara because it’s better for you Arabs with camels” and also told them that “Palestinians should learn how to handle the [expletive] Jews.” according to the EEOC’s complaint.If true, the allegations would constitute a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 based on national origin and religious discrimination. The EEOC is seeking monetary damages for both men and it also seeks an injunction to prevent Monocle Restaurant from engaging in any employment practice that discriminates on the basis of national origin or religion. “Employers must remember that harassment based on national origin and religion, like race harassment, is against the law,” said Lynette A. Barnes, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Charlotte District Office which oversees litigation filed by the agency in Washington, D.C. “Companies should have in place a policy that prohibits national origin and religion harassment, as well as a procedure for victims and witnesses to report it and for the employer to promptly respond to and rectify it.”The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on the agency’s web site at www.eeoc.gov.