EEOC Says Store Should Have Accommodated Jehovah's Witness' Beliefs

The Charlotte (NC) Business Journal reports that the EEOC yesterday filed a lawsuit against Belk, Inc. in a North Carolina federal district court charging religious discrimination by one of Belk's stores in Raleigh (NC). The suit alleges that Belk wrongfully fired employee Myra Jones-Abid after she refused to wear a Santa hat and apron while working in the store's gift wrapping section. Jones-Abid is a Jehovah's Witness. Her religion prohibits celebration of holidays, including birthdays and Christmas. The EEOC claims that Belk had an obligation to accommodate Jones-Abid's religious beliefs.