MPSL/St Paul: Muslim workers at Target refuse to handle pork

Please tell me, in this question:

Do you have any special requirements or needs we should know about?

where does it specify any of the items you have on your list?

Race - x
Color - x
Sex - x
Religion - X
National origin -x
Birthplace - x
Age - x
Disability - x
Marital/family status - x

With this question the onus is on the interviewee to divulge what ever they feel pertinent.

Originally posted by jsobecky
Well, I appreciate you taking the time to give your perspective. And I hope you understand mine, as well.

I understand the concept of EOE and the extent of its power.

I think that you would find that many smaller employers have done things to accomodate such beliefs, out of human kindness. But, for an employer the size of Target, it would be next to impossible.

I believe you are probably right regarding smaller employers being more likely, but it was Target that responded to the news story about one of their employees and they did not condemn her actions, just reiterated their mantra on taking into consideration both their customers and the employees (members).

Edit: appalling grammar

[edit on 18-3-2007 by Koka]

I've filled out many applications that asked if there was any reason I might not be able to perform the duties of the job I was applying for.
I've always been honest and stated my limitations when it comes to lifting weight.....and I know I have been passed up on some jobs because of this limitation. this is because of health problems....
and I have walked away from jobs when I found I couldn't do what is expected...
so.....this is a problem due to a health problem...why should a problem due to a religious belief be treated any different? I really want to know!!!

Originally posted by Koka
Please tell me, in this question:

Do you have any special requirements or needs we should know about?

where it specifies any of the items you have on your list?

Race - x
Color - x
Sex - x
Religion - X
National origin -x
Birthplace - x
Age - x
Disability - x
Marital/family status - x

With this question the onus is on the interviewee to divulge what ever they feel pertinent.

You are putting it into the form of a question yet the source I posted says those questions are Illegal TO ask. Why can't you understand that?????

Quewstions that are illegal to ask


You do realize what illegal means don't you? It means it is prohibited by law

"questions that are not related to the job they are hiring for."

so it would be permisable to ask a person if they had a problem handling pork or any other product that is typically carried in a store for a cashier's job, wouldn't it? since it is related to the job.

just as it would to ask someone if they would have a problem lifting 50 lbs or more of weight, or whatever else...there is no need to go into someone's religion, or disablility really...simple question....heck for all they know, I might have some strange fear that prevents me from cashing out eggs or something.

but, the employer has the right to know it before he hires someone.

Originally posted by dawnstar
"questions that are not related to the job they are hiring for."

so it would be permisable to ask a person if they had a problem handling pork or any other product that is typically carried in a store for a cashier's job, wouldn't it? since it is related to the job.

Good intelligent point Dawnstar.

It seems like common sense can't prevail and employers will begin having to ask potential employees the bleedin' flippin' obvious that most of us would INSTINCTIVELY already know.

Isn't the real answer that any establishment or Company that handles Pork in anyshape or form be able to not hire Muslims and Jews on the grounds of respecting their relgion.

If the religion says NO PIG then help them observe the NO PIG.

God forbid anyone touch door knobs or wander around the place touching things after handling or eating Pork


Sorry for got to add this link Outlawing the Pig

[edit on 4-5-2008 by puzzled2]

I don't see why Christians are getting so upset with this... I mean, I know plenty of Christians who flat out REFUSE to work on a Sunday... let alone merely refuse to handle one product.

Tit for tat really... if you want to religious recognition to do nothing for an entire day of the week... let them have their religious rights as well.


As a kid I worked in a Kitchen... simply as a dish washer. There was a Muslim cook who worked there, who wouldn't touch the pork products. We struck a deal. I do the pork products, and in return, he cleans his own equipment.
We managed to work it out... I'm an Atheist... I'm dead set against religion in general, and I was able to deal with this kind of a situation...

... so I have to say...

DEAL with it.

I do understand the cashiers chooice ,but they must remeber they are the ones whom applyed for that job. working in the USA it is almost impossible to avoivd pork. I know plenty of Muslims who accutaly work in a slaughter house geuss what they are slaughtering for consumtion. you got Pork. It is imparitive that they do not intentionaly ingest pork. but on the other hand if it is needed for servival it is permitted such as some types of insilin. and as I was reading through the thread I noticed someone put a list of Items that contain pork, sorry to burst your bubble but the Musslims are more then well informed on pork products such as tooth paste, nail polish(some) the list goes on for ever. The Mosqe gives people the list and it also can be found on the internet. I am not Muslim, but I do try to respect everyone. how ever I think the clerk in this situation should have been fired. they agreed to preform a job and that is what it comes down to. you are there to work not nogotiagte.

As a Target employee with 20 years experience, I'm sure that Target hired the right person and did the right thing by doing so. That person can be a cashier until it becomes a big enough "problem" with guests. (At Target you are our 'guest' not our customer.) Target also has plenty of other jobs and positions that Muslims can fill. No big deal.

Besides how many of you know that there is no difference in the taste between Pork and human flesh? That is what cannibal killers like Jeffrey Dahmer and Albert Fish said!!!!!

So drop the paranoia.

reply to post by DJMessiah


DJ messiah, you made some pretty bad comments. I don't think that you can compare a womans right to choose over her body, with a workers blatant refusal to do her job. Yes, it is a big deal If my bartender was in AA, I would scream bloody hell. So how is this any different. When you file for employment with someone, they ask you if you would have had any problems with your duties. This is the workers fault, but hey, lets just boycott the store, maybe?

reply to post by johnsky


And not working on Sundays is a big difference. They are told up front, and if not, they should be terminated. It's a big deal because it interferes with their JOB!

no, i didn't bother to read the whole thread. i'll just say if a person is unable to perform some function, based on values or physical/mental condition, they should not work in a position that involves that function. i wouldn't hire a paraplegic to stock shelves (unless they had bionic limbs, which in itself would be awesome.) i wouldn't expect someone with a mental disability to be in charge of launching spacecraft. by refusing to do certain things, you're basically creating a form of disability that should automatically disqualify you from certain jobs. i used to be in a religion with strict rules. i never asked for any special treatment in situations that infringed on my beliefs. i either sucked it up or chose to do something else. if someone asked me to scan my own stuff i might do it just because i'm not an a-hole. i'd want to tell them off though. =P

If the person had hurt themselves and it was a temporary condition - they just wanted to try to keep working - i would appreciate and respect that and would gladly scan my own stuff. hell i offer to do that with heavy items anyway. but if someone is just choosing not to , then

its all part of the big plan to slowly turn america into a muslim country..it might take 100 yrs but muslims are slowly imposing there beliefs on everyday life ...

reply to post by johnsky

well, let's see.. a religious person wants every saturday or sunday off because of religious beliefs...how should an employer handle that...he makes the schedule so someone else is working those days? he certainly doesn't schedule the guy on those days and then bring in another to do his work and let him sit around like a bump on a log. a person refuses to touch pork, because of religious believes...how should the employer handle that one....hire someone specifically to stand by him waiting for someone to bring a ham up to the register so he can scan it for him or post a sign above his register informing the customer that if they chose this register they will have to scan their own pork? don't think so....you take the guy off the register, throw him in the bakery or something where he doesn't have to touch pork, if possible, but the guy is incapable of being a cashier if he isn't willing to handle the products in the store.
this isn't the same as someone who wants one day off every week, for whatever reason, most employees do get one day off, and it only effects his job on that one day, not every minute he's on the job. if I owned a store, I definately wouldn't be having the customers scanning their own products for any reason! it just seems like a good way to lose customers. the guy could either take the bakery job, or whatever other job that I feel he is capable of doing that might be open, or he could go find another job with another employer.

This thread was brought up again after like almost a year since last post?

Well, interesting argument anyway. Forgot all about it.

Is it really that big a deal if a few customers have to scan their own pork?

This isn't like an epidemic or anything, most decent Muslims wouldn't take up a job that involved Pork in anyway, so these so-called "Muslims" aren't exactly doing themselves any favors.

Second, if it's such a friggin' problem for some stores, then lay them off.

Why is an article on this subject even required? If your worker doesn't perform a job up to your level of satisfaction then fire them. Simple as that. Happens all the time to check-out chicks and trolley boys.
They get laid off, and they move on.

Don't b*tch all over the public media saying "Oh lookie here, we got workers who won't scan our pork, oh btw their Muslims." *wink* *wink*..

What the hell does this accomplish? It spreads more misconceptions and prejudice against Muslims, and creates the kind of fear and loathing you see from rabid bigots on this thread.

This is a sorry exhibition. I expect this kind of sensationalism from tabloids, "Oh god, they won't touch Pork!!! They are not American!! Quick arm the ICBM's we've got war on our hands!"

[edit on 8/5/08 by The Godfather of Conspira]