Three Jewish Organizations Refuse to File Brief with Extremist Muslim Group in Employment Discrimination Case

American Jewish Committee
Wednesday, 11 July 2001

The American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress and the Anti-Defamation League today announced their withdrawal from an amicus brief being prepared for filing with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a Muslim woman, Zeinab Ali. Ms. Ali is asking the Supreme Court to overturn an appellate court ruling dismissing her employment discrimination claim, which is based upon her employer's request that she remove her headscarf (hijab) while at work.

The three agencies had intended to join in the amicus brief, but withdrew when it became clear that the brief was also to be signed by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), an extremist Muslim group that condones terrorism and supports groups who are officially designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. government.

All three agencies are members of a diverse coalition, including Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Sikh groups, that is working to promote legislation strengthening religious accommodation law so that members of all faiths can reconcile the needs of the workplace with the demands of their religious beliefs. The American Jewish Committee previously filed an amicus brief in support of Ms. Ali in the federal court of appeals, whose decision led to the current petition to the Supreme Court.

As champions of religious liberty in the work place, the three agencies said they deeply regret being forced to withdraw from the brief, and that their support for Ms. Ali in her endeavor to protect her rights and the principles that her appeal to the Supreme Court seeks to establish remains undiminished. Nonetheless, they said, to join with CAIR on the brief would be to legitimize an organization that condones terrorism and that they cannot do.

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org