Identical Twins and Former Amazing Race Contestants File Employment Discrimination Lawsuit Against Hospital

Identical twins and former Amazing Race contestants recently filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against OSF Saint Elizabeth Medical Center. The lawsuit alleges that the hospital refused to hire the twins, Idries and Jamil Abdur-Rahman, because they are Muslim African-Americans. The brothers are seeking “back pay plus interest, compensatory damages, loss in benefits and other costs.”

The twins practiced obstetrics and gynecology at the Community Hospital of Ottawa before it merged with another institution. The merge resulted in the hospital changing its name to OSF Saint Elizabeth Medical Center. After the merge, the brothers were informed that in order to be employed by the institution, they would be required to sign an Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services agreement.

Even though the brothers had a verbal agreement with the president and chief medical officer of the health care institution, the brothers were not officially hired because they “were unlikely to abide by its ethical and religious directives.”

The brothers are currently employed at another health care institution, Vista Physician Group.

What do you think about a religious corporation (in this case a Catholic hospital) refusing to hire someone because of their religious beliefs?