PHOENIX – A federal jury in Phoenix decided that Alamo Rent A Car must pay a Muslim woman $288,000 for firing her for wearing a head scarf during the holy month of Ramadan.
Bilan Nur was fired just four months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. She had worked at the company's Phoenix offices since 1999.
Then 22, Nur complained to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which sued the company for what it called a "post 9-11 backlash." The suit says she was fired in violation of the Civil Rights Act for exercising her religious beliefs.
A federal judge agreed last year, ruling that Alamo was guilty of illegal discrimination and did not try to accommodate her.
A jury started hearing the damages part of the case on Tuesday and reached a verdict Friday.
A spokesman for Alamo declined comment.
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