AP reports on a new initiative of the New York Attorney General to protect religious freedom. Citing the city's growing religious diversity and rising claims of religious discrimination, AG Eric Schneiderman yesterday announced the effort.
The attorney general's office is targeting faith-based discrimination with outreach, inviting reports of potential violations, issuing guidance on workplace measures like flexible scheduling and dress codes, and threatening civil rights lawsuits for violations.
"In the past 20 years, New York state has become much more pluralistic. We have more diversity in religious practices," Schneiderman said at an Anti-Defamation League luncheon Wednesday in New York City. "The growth of our Hassidic and other Jewish communities, of the number of observant Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists, has been staggering, and frankly, we need to adjust things in the office of the New York State Attorney General to deal with this new, more pluralistic reality."
Efforts like this are essential to protecting religious freedom in a diverse society. Being proactive sends a signal not only to religious minority communities, but also to employers and landlords that discrimination will not go unpunished.
