Snapped Shot

Five-hundred Muslim workers walked off the job [Ed: Dang, how many people work at that plant? Is it all muslim there?] Monday at a Grand Island meatpacking plant [Ed: JBS Swift & Co.] after they say they were denied time to pray during the Muslim observance of Ramadan. Hawo Mohammed said she tried to pray quickly in the bathroom until a male supervisor followed her in and told her she was taking too long.

More than 100 workers at a Greeley Swift plant were fired last week because the company said they walked away from work before their shifts ended. The workers blamed the company's refusal to allow their breaks to coincide with sunset so they could pray.

Swift, which was purchased by Brazil's JBS SA in March, has had problems with Muslim workers at the Grand Island plant in the past.

Dozens of workers from Somalia quit their jobs last year because they said they weren't allowed to pray at sunset. They eventually returned to work.

I thought it was against their religion to even go into a bathroom without praying because they believe that it is a place full of evil and demons. So, why go their to do their holy prayers? And she was on the floor?

How come they can't just do it while standing and packing their meat? How much time do they need? Do they need like 5 minutes? Can they stagger their prayers so the line continues operation? Or are they asking that everyone takes time off to go out and pray? You know how much that would cost a plant to shut its production down and then try and start back up? Are they asking for more time? Why don't reporters ask questions any more?

Do you think they pack pork? Would they make that plant shut down or change its product line if they wanted to process pork? [Update: The company itself does process pork!]

If they knew the hours of the plant prior to working there then they can't complain now!

Love this comment in the article:

Buckwheat writes:

Who really gives a crap......Hey look!!! 500 job openings at Swift!! Welcome 500 people from Galveston who now need jobs.

[update 2:] It would seem that the plant is only a beef slaughter facility that employs 2600 people. 20% or more are muslims. wow! In small town Nebraska!?!??!!?

[Update 3:] This guy has even more info about the company. It seems that they hire quite a number of muslims for their facilities. They fired 100 muslims at their Greeley plant a few days ago over prayers as well.

Could this be a company wide effort on the part of the management, or just a company-wide effort on part of muslims to force changes?

Yeah!!! Ibrahim Hooper of our favorite CAIR has gotten involved!! Pat Dollard has more on the story:

Workers in Nebraska gave managers a 45-minute window in which prayer breaks were necessary; in Greeley the workers offered a 10-minute window, according to people familiar with the discussions.

The Greeley workers, all Muslim and many Somalian, were fired Wednesday for not reporting to work after nearly 400 walked off the job Friday saying they were denied prayer time. At issue is a request by the workers for a 10-minute prayer break at sundown.

Workers said they were refused the break on Friday but had been allowed the break previously.

About 120 employees returned to work Tuesday after JBS officials said they’d accommodate the need for Muslim prayers, but only during a universal meal break that turns out to be too late for the religious practice and too early for other workers.