Muslim Deputy Candidate Sues Somerset Sheriff's Office Over Rescinded Job Offer After March 21 Accommodation Request
Updated
Updated · Patch · Aug 11
Muslim Deputy Candidate Sues Somerset Sheriff's Office Over Rescinded Job Offer After March 21 Accommodation Request
2 articles · Updated · Patch · Aug 11
Summary
July 13 filings with the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights accuse the Somerset County Sheriff's Office of denying Habeeb Syed a deputy job after he sought religious accommodation for his beard and five daily prayers.
March 3, Syed says he was told he had been selected pending a physical and background check, but supervisors later questioned whether he could shave and delay prayers to satisfy police academy expectations.
March 21, Syed formally requested permission to keep a neatly groomed beard and pray during lunch or designated breaks, saying he could not compromise on those obligations.
June 26, the office told Syed it could not move forward because of budget cuts; the complaint calls that explanation a pretext for religious discrimination and retaliation.
The case seeks compensatory damages and other relief under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, while Somerset County did not immediately respond to a request for comment.