3 steps to make workplace religious accommodations for Islamic prayer

Few issues are more sensitive for employers than accommodating employees’ religious practices and observances. In recent years, Muslim employees and their employers have struggled with how to handle the religious requirement to perform obligatory prayers while at work. Here are some suggestions.

5 daily prayers

Muslims are mandated by their faith to observe five daily prayers during certain intervals. The performance of the prayer requires preparation in the form of a ritual cleansing followed by the actual prayer, which consists of a series of standing, bowing, and prostrating actions accompanied by recitation of chapters from the Quran.

The five daily prayers occur at dawn, midday, midafternoon, sunset, and nighttime. With each moment comes a “window” of time in which the particular prayer should be performed.

Prayer times will fluctuate throughout the year as they correspond with the rising and setting of the sun. Long summer days may see only one prayer “come due” during the workday, while short winter days may have up to three “come due” during a typical 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. shift.

Employer concerns

Employers not familiar with the practice of the salat (or the Islamic daily prayers) may have legitimate questions and concerns: