Dallas men accuse IHOP of firing them over their Muslim religion

Four Dallas men filed a lawsuit against IHOP and a local franchise owner for allegedly firing them in 2010 because of their national origin and Muslim beliefs, according to WFAA-TV .

The men, who are Arab and Muslim, said they were all fired in 2010 despite receiving positive reviews by their supervisors, the television station reported.

A lawsuit filed Tuesday also alleges that Anthraper Investments owners, who run four IHOPs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, repeatedly used discriminatory language in the months before their firing, according to the WFAA report.

The lawsuit accuses the owners of saying, “Arab men treat women poorly and with disrespect, we’re going to let these people go and have new faces coming in.” The owners also were accused of saying that Muslims waiting to break fast for Ramadan were like a “dog waiting for their meal.”

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission determined earlier this week that there was evidence that the men were terminated because of their national origin.

A lawyer for Anthraper Investments said the EEOC came to an inaccurate conclusion because of inadequate resources and a large backlog of charges.

IHOP said it’s employment practices are non-discriminatory and inclusive.

“Our franchisee believes the allegations are without merit, and looks forward to the fair conclusion of this matter,” the restaurant group said in a written statement.