The men employed by the town council of Genevilliers just outside Paris were dismissed on July 20, the first day of Ramadan, under the pretext of endangering the children’s safety by not drinking or eating from dawn to dusk.
On Tuesday, France's main Muslim organization, the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), slammed the Genevilliers council decision as "arbitrary and discriminatory".
"Religious freedom is a fundamental right and you cannot in any circumstances ban someone from practicing their religion," a spokesman for the CFCM, Abdallah Zekri said.
The four workers and the CFCM are now planning to sue the town council for discrimination.
"How can you judge the capacity of someone to do their job on the basis of their religious practice?" a lawyer representing the four sacked workers, Mohand Yanat said.
The French Council of the Muslim Faith is the only association responsible for issues pertaining to Muslims in the country.
There are an estimated 5 million Muslims in France, the largest such population in Western Europe
.
The French government has in the past been criticized for taking an anti-Muslim stance.
Last year, the government passed controversial laws banning full-face veils and prayers in public spaces. Activists describe the measures as racist.
source : http://abna.ir
