Can Abdul-Rauf Demonstrate The Existence Of A Sincerely Held Religious Belief That Conflicts With An Employment Requirement?
After naming the defendant employer(s), the plaintiff in a Title VII religious discrimination case must demonstrate that he or she holds a sincere religious belief that conflicts with an employment requirement.[53] Congress defined “religion” to include “all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief.”[54] Congress, however, left the courts to define what constitutes a “sincerely held religious belief.”[55] Courts have met this task in cases brought under both Title VII and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.[56] In Frazee v. Illinois Department of Employment Security,[57] the United States Supreme Court established guidelines for the establishment of a “sincerely held religious belief.” William Frazee refused a retail position because the job required him to work on Sunday, in violation of his “personal professed religious beliefs.”[58] Subsequently, the Illinois Department of Employment Security denied unemployment b
