A Muslim flight attendant has been suspended from her job for refusing to serve alcohol. Charee Stanley, a 40-year-old flight attendant with ExpressJet, converted to Islam two years ago, and says her deeply religious Muslim faith prohibits her from serving or drinking alcohol, a problem that Stanley just now realized, this past June, according to CNN. Stanley has been a flight attendant for three years.
"What this case comes down to is no one should have to choose between their career and religion and its incumbent upon employers to provide a safe environment where employees can feel they can practice their religion freely," said Lena Masri, an attorney with the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"It was at the direction of the airlines that she began coordinating with the other flight attendant on duty so that when a passenger requested alcohol, the other flight attendant would accommodate that request," Masri said. "We know that this arrangement has worked beautifully and without incident and that it hasn't caused any undue burden on the airline. After all, it was the suggestion of the airline."
This all took a turn when another steward filed a complaint in regards to Stanley refusing to serve alcoholic drinks, according to The Daily Mail. At that point, Stanley was sent a letter dated Aug. 25, stating that the airline was revoking its religious accommodation and placed Stanley on administrative leave for 12 months.
A spokesman for ExpressJet declined to comment further. "At ExpressJet, we embrace and respect the values of all of our team members. We are an equal opportunity employer with a long history of diversity in our workforce," said airline spokesman Jarek Beem, according to The Detroit News. "As Ms. Stanley is an employee, we are not able to comment on her personnel matters."
