Muslims Settle ‘Prayer in the Workplace’ Dispute

An Islamic civil rights group says it has reached a settlement with the Dell computer company involving 31 Muslim employees who wanted to time out from work to pray at sunset.

Coincidentally, a bill reintroduced in Congress on Thursday would address situations such as the one at Dell.

The workers walked off their assembly-line jobs at Dell’s computer manufacturing plant in Nashville, Tenn., last month when they were told they had to choose between praying on the job or losing the job. Devout Muslims pray five times a day.)

In a settlement announced late Thursday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the workers will be reinstated, receive back pay and be granted religious accommodation.

Dell managers will receive additional training on existing religious accommodation policies and practices, CAIR said in a press release. It added that other terms of the settlement will not be made public.

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