Downtown imam asks Evansville council to pursue ordinance directing employers to allow Friday prayer time

Faraji Omar Garth, imam of Masjid Asuna, used the public-comment period at the Evansville Common Council meeting on March 10 to request that the council pass an ordinance directing corporate employers and others in Evansville to allow Muslim employees time to attend Friday congregational prayers.

Garth told the council Masjid Asuna, located at 728 Court Street, opened about eight months earlier and that “hundreds” of Muslim constituents—students, factory workers, doctors and others—want to attend weekly Friday prayers but encounter employer resistance. He cited a federal religious-accommodation protection he described as “Title 4 of the 1964 veil rights acts religious accommodation protection” and asked the council to set a timeframe to pass an ordinance instructing employers to allow employees to attend the Friday service for approximately 1.5 to 2 hours and then return to work.

Garth said the request is not for an entire day off, but for a short period to attend a religious service; he suggested such accommodation would improve employee satisfaction and productivity. He invited council members, law-enforcement leaders and the public to attend services and said the mosque seeks to reduce misconceptions and emphasize its community role. The council did not take action on the request during the meeting.

Garth provided his address for the record and requested the council consider an ordinance; no staff report or council referral was recorded during the meeting transcript.