The following is from the Live Trucking website:

“Two Muslim truck drivers who refused to transport alcohol were recently awarded $240,000 by an Illinois judge, according to a press release by the EEOC.

“Truck drivers Mahad Abass Mohammed and Abdkiarim Hassan Bulshale were fired from Illinois-based Star Transport back in 2009 after they refused to transport alcohol because it violated their religious beliefs.

“The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the carrier on behalf of the drivers, alleging religious discrimination and wrongful termination.

“On October 20th, after 45 minutes of deliberation, a federal jury ruled in favor of the EEOC and the drivers. U.S. District Court Judge James E. Shadid ordered Star Transport to pay $240,000 in compensatory and punitive damages.”

Without going into the merits of the case, I find it interesting that people with certain religious convictions are permitted to exercise those religious convictions in a workplace environment.

Surely these two Muslim men knew that Star Transport hauled alcohol. Knowing this, why did they apply for a job?

Let’s compare this judgment by a government agency to bakers who refused to bake cakes for same-sex weddings. The bakers did not refuse to bake cakes; they only refused to bake cakes that included a message.

There is nothing unusual in this type of refusal. Would it be a crime for a homosexual printer to refuse to print signs condemning same-sex marriage? Of course not. No one would argue that a black-owned baker should be forced to bake a cake for a KKK-themed wedding.

In the case of the two Muslim truck drivers, their employment was curtailed. There was a loss of wages.

But in the cases of the bakers, there was no loss of income for the homosexual couples who wanted gay-wedding cakes made. There were most likely other bakeries that would have made the cakes.

Consider the case of Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips:

“As TheBlaze previously reported, problems for Phillips began in 2012 when he turned gay couple Charlie Craig and David Mullins away after they approached him seeking a wedding cake for a celebration that they planned to have in Colorado.

“’In an exchange lasting about 30 seconds, Phillips politely declined, explaining that he would gladly make them any other type of baked item they wanted but that he could not make a cake promoting a same-sex ceremony because of his faith,’ read a press release from Phillips’ team.” (H/T: The Blaze)

In the case of the truck drives, the religious beliefs of Muslims was upheld, but in the case of jack Phillips, his religious beliefs were deemed inconsequential.

And what did civil rights commissioner Diann Rice say about Phillips’ refusal based on his religious beliefs? She stated that “Freedom of religion and religion has [sic] been used to justify all kinds of discrimination throughout history, whether it be slavery, whether it be the Holocaust.”

So not baking a cake for a same-sex wedding is like enslaving people and gassing Jews. Who knew?

Why wasn’t this argument used by Star Transport in their defense? Because it’s insane.