Muslim flight attendant suspended for refusing to serve alcohol

A Muslim flight attendant has filed a discrimination complaint against American airline ExpressJet after she says she was suspended for refusing to serve alcohol to passengers.

Charee Stanley, who converted to Islam two years ago, says it is against her faith to drink, buy, serve or even carry alcohol, and that she just wants to be able to do her job with the airline while honouring her beliefs.

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She told WWJ TV: "I don't think that I should have to choose between practicing my religion properly or earning a living. I shouldn't have to choose between one or the other, because they're both important."

It was only recently that Stanley realised that her religious community forbade her from serving alcohol.

ExpressJet reportedly accommodated her request not to serve alcohol at first, but when another flight attendant filed a complaint against her last month, Stanley says the airline decided to revoke her religious accommodation and placed her on administrative leave.

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Stanley is the second woman to make the headlines recently for a religious conflict in the workplace.

Kentucky clerk Kim Davies was jailed last week for contempt of court after preventing her office from granting same-sex marriage licenses because she said it violated with her Christian beliefs.

She has received a lot of attention over the past couple of weeks, but the cases are quite different.

Stanley's lawyer told the Huffington Post: "She got suspended for following the directions. Serving alcohol is not a central duty of being a flight attendant.

She also pointed out that Stanley is not a public official and that passengers could still get alcoholic drinks.

ExpressJet has not commented directly on Stanley's case.

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