DALLAS — The federal government has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas Dallas Division against Halliburton Energy Services Inc. for allegedly subjecting two Muslim employees to national origin and religious discrimination.
The U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed the suit against Halliburton, alleging the company violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The EEOC alleges two Muslim employees, Hassan Snoubar, a native Syrian and Mir Ali, who is of Indian origin, were taunted with derogatory comments and names such as "camel jockey," being accused of associations with ISIS and terrorism and ridiculed for their cultural attire. According to the EEOC, Snoubar was then fired after reporting the harassment.
"This case should serve as a message that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated in the workplace," EEOC trial attorney Joel Clark said in a statement.
"Passivity in the face of this kind of abuse is certainly enough for an employer to be held accountable but the participation by supervisors in the mean-spirited degradation of an employee's ethnic heritage and faith is unconscionable as well as unlawful," EEOC Dallas District Office regional attorney Robert Canino said.
The suit was filed after pre-litigation settlement attempts failed, according to the EEOC.