Case Study: Religious Strife in Grand Island, Nebraska

by the Buxton Fellows

In Grand Island, Nebraska, ethnic and religious tensions have been rising over the past several years. Somali refugees that moved to this small town have also brought Muslim practices to which residents and businesses are still unaccustomed. At a meatpacking plant owned by JBS Swift & Company, over two hundred Muslims walked off the job in September 2008 after their breaks for prayer were eliminated due to protests by non-Muslim coworkers. The walk-off resulted in their firing.

Last month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission decreed that JBS violated the Somali employees’ civil rights and subjected them to “unlawful harassment.” The ruling was a success for the Somalis, but the conflict between the Somali Muslims and their counterparts runs deeper than the workplace.

Eboo Patel, Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core (one of Buxton’s partners), uses this ongoing situation in Grand Island as a case study to demonstrate the challenges that arise as a result of towns and cities that attract people from extremely diverse backgrounds. He emphasizes that interfaith dialogue consists of tools that should be used to help alleviate similar conflicts that occur in dozens of cities around America. “A concern of mine is that interfaith dialogue is used more often as a tool for personal enrichment, rather than for building skills to cure real world conflicts,” he said while speaking to the Buxton Fellows.

Dr. Patel urged us to consider this dispute as a case study and contemplate steps towards a peaceful solution. Here are some of our thoughts on ways to approach the struggle between religious pluralism and equality in the businesses and lives of people in Grand Island.

Our thoughts:

America is a country based on the value of religious freedom and pluralism; we can further celebrate that value by being conscious of the challenges at hand for different groups of recent immigrants

Businesses who take the step to hire diverse groups of people should respect differences in the workplace and comprehend the implications of doing so.

Businesses can deal with diverse groups better by developing a framework to deal with diversity and possible conflicts that arises from it

The Somali Muslims are acting out their faith with the same devotion as any other person of faith in America

It is important to rethink what religious pluralism means in the fabric of American society– not all religions or religious practices are the same, and those differences need to be accommodated and integrated in and out of the workplace

Learn More

Oct. 16, 2008 Wall Street Journal, “Religious-Bias Filings Up”

Oct. 2, 2008 NPR, “Fired Muslims To Sue Over Prayer Break Dispute” Megan Verlee