A Muslim man has fired a lawsuit against his former employer after he was allegedly fired for refusing to shave his beard. The plaintiff claims that his beard is part of his religion, and therefore, that his firing violated federal employment laws and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which mandates that employers must accommodate employees' religious practices unless it causes the employer undue hardship.

According to the employment lawsuit, when the plaintiff was hired as a security guard in May of 2009, his employer did not inform him that he would have to shave his beard as a condition of his employment. However, six months later, while meeting with a regional manager to discuss unpaid wages, he was informed that he would have to shave his beard and comply with company policy in order to continue working there.

The plaintiff told the manager that to do so would violate his religious beliefs. Following the conversation, the company's CEO told the plaintiff that he would be kept off the work schedule until he shaved his beard. That was in April, and the plaintiff has not been scheduled since.

Following his firing, the plaintiff went to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, who began to work on his behalf. After an investigation, the EEOC determined that the company had violated the Civil Rights Act through "discrimination and retaliation," which is somewhat of a rare finding. The EEOC reportedly attempted to contact the company and attempt to work out a solution, but was unable to do so. Then, the plaintiff filed a lawsuit, seeking unspecified damages.

Source: Seattle Times, "Muslim man sues after being fired because of his beard," Jessie Van Berkel, August 4, 2011