Samsung Sued for Denying Job to Muslim Man for Not Drinking Alcohol

A Muslim US resident has filed a religious discrimination complaint against the tech-giant Samsung for being rejected on the basis of his faith. He was asked whether he could drink alcohol as it was a “necessity” for his job.

As per the details, the US resident received an email from Samsung’s human resources department inviting him for a job interview. The man had not applied for a position there, however, the email detailed that the company deemed him as the right candidate for its newest software technology position.

Four interviews were arranged for him that included one phone call and three in-person at Samsung’s Strategy and Innovation Center in San Jose, California.

According to the individual, the first three interviews were quick and the hiring manager went on saying that all he wanted the man to do was to impress the last interviewer, a manager of software engineering. He said that everyone considered him the perfect candidate.


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However, the last interview, according to the candidate, did not go well. The interviewer was more interested in the interviewee’s faith rather than his technical capabilities or work experience.

The manager underlined the importance of company culture and told the candidate that it involved drinking a lot of alcohol, sometimes until 2 AM. He also pressed the candidate about his religious views and his approach toward drinking alcohol.

The candidate kept telling him that although he did not drink alcohol, he had no problem with others doing so. However, the interviewer did not let up and kept asking questions about his faith and how not drinking alcohol might affect the team’s cohesiveness.

Moreover, the one-hour meeting only lasted 25 minutes. A few days later, he found that he could not get the position at Samsung.

He approached the company’s human resource department citing the incident and grievance. Although he did receive a sympathetic email, it did not promise any action against the said interviewer or even any preventative action for that matter.

“What I would have liked to have heard is that they were taking measures to make sure this kind of thing isn’t going to happen again,” says the individual, “I’m surprised at the fact that Samsung, being such a big company as it is, doesn’t do more to ensure that this sort of outcome isn’t there.”

He is taking legal action against the company, filing a religious discrimination complaint at California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing.

The interviewer is still employed at Samsung at the time of writing this article.

Via Huffington Post



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