About 53 Somali Muslims have left their jobs at a manufacturing plant in Brillion, Wisconsin after the company imposed a policy requiring them to pray only during scheduled company breaks.
Before the new policy, Ariens Manufacturing had allowed 53 Muslim employees to leave the production line twice per shift daily to pray two of the required five prayers under Islam. They prayed for five minutes at a time, according to ABC2 WBAY.
According to a guide by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Muslims are required to hold morning, noon, afternoon, sunset and night prayers every day that take about 15 minutes each consisting of washing and praying.
"We are asking employees to pray during scheduled breaks in designated prayer rooms. Our manufacturing environment does not allow for unscheduled breaks in production," according to an Ariens spokesperson.
"If someone tells you, 'You pray on your break,' and the break time is not the prayer time? It will be impossible to pray," said Masjid Imam Hasan Abdi.
But Ariens is offering the affected employees a way to accommodate them, adding that it respects Islam.
"We are open to any of the employees returning to work under the new policy or will look for openings in shifts that do not coincide with prayer time. We respect their faith, and we respect their decision regardless of their choice to return to work or not," the company said.
Ten of the 53 employees have said that they wish to stay in their current positions under the new policy.
The Equal Opportunity Employment Commission says that "an employer does not have to accommodate an employee's religious beliefs or practices if doing so would cause undue hardship to the employer... [such as] decreased efficiency."
Dan Ariens, president and CEO of Ariens, said his family has operated manufacturing businesses in northeast Wisconsin for more than 80 years.
"We consulted with local representatives who are of Muslim faith to help provide sustainable solutions. We want to be clear that no one was terminated here. We are asking employees to use two scheduled breaks for religious observation, and are offering designated prayer rooms," he clarified.
He said the company is "open to any of the employees returning to work under the new policy and I have sent a letter to each of them re-stating that offer."
"Let me be clear: we respect their faith, we respect the work they have done at Ariens, and we respect their decision regardless of their choice to return to work or not," he said.
