Islamic Affairs Central Network (IACN)

Dear Mr Lewis,

We are profoundly shocked at the discriminatory treatment a female Muslim worker has received at the Bank of America. It is even more astonishing that instead of taking any positive action, the Bank of America has played an active role in the victimisation.

According to the employee, a co-worker circulated an offensive message on the Bank of America e-mail system. The e-mail claimed “Muslim terrorists are so quick to commit suicide” because they have “no beer, no booze…rags for clothes…you can’t shave, your wife can’t shave…your bride is picked by someone else. She smells like your donkey, but your donkey has a better disposition.”

Instead of taking immediate action when informed of the offensive e-mail, Bank of America reportedly told the Muslim employee to ignore the message and then lodged a complaint against her alleging she was trying to get the co-worker fired.

Following that incident, the Bank of America workplace allegedly became increasingly hostile for the Muslim employee, to the extent that she had to receive medical attention. She claims co-workers continued to make offensive remarks about her religious and ethnic background. One female manager, after learning that the Muslim employee attended an anti-war rally, said she would have loved to throw a “hand grenade at the protesters if [she] had one in [her] hand.”

The Muslim employee also says she has been denied requests for religious accommodation, such as taking time for religious holidays -- a request enjoyed by other Bank of America employees -- and has been denied sick leave.

The Muslim employee has already suffered immensely and will continue to suffer until the Bank of America brings to halt this victimisation and takes strict disciplinary action against those involved in this racial and religious discrimination.

Perhaps now is the time for Bank of America to review its equal opportunities policy and implement it. An immediate resolution of this horrendous act of open discrimination would be a good start.

We hope that you will take immediate action to support the victim and demonstrate to your customers, many of whom are Muslims, that the Bank of America will not tolerate such acts of oppression and discrimination.

Yours sincerely,

Hasan Abdullah

Director of Public Relations

Islam Awareness Campaign (IACN)

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