By Mark A. Kellner / Deseret News
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A Supreme Court ruling requiring employers to accommodate workers who wear articles of clothing for religious reasons is a victory for more than just the young Muslim woman who wanted to work at Abercrombie & Fitch, several activist groups said Monday.
In an 8-1 vote, the high court sided with Samantha Elauf of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who was 17 when she applied for a sales position at a mall outlet for Abercrombie Kids, part of the trendy clothing chain. Even though Elauf didn’t tell the person interviewing her for the position — called a “model” in Abercrombie’s terminology — that the black headscarf she wore reflected her understanding of Islam, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the firm “knew — or at least suspected — that the scarf was worn for religious reasons” and should have asked if there was a religious accommodation issue to the company’s dress standards.
Groups representing a variety of faith traditions praised the ruling.
Citing the 1964 federal law banning discrimination on the basis of religion, the Baptist Joint Committee’s general counsel, attorney K. Holly Hollman, said the ruling asserts religion shouldn’t be used to disqualify any job seeker.
“The court today confirmed the fundamental principle in Title VII’s ban on religious discrimination in employment. Neither a person’s religion nor the potential need to accommodate a religious practice should be a basis for denying a prospective employee a job,” she said in a statement.
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