Muslim drivers win $240K judgment in discrimination suit

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — A jury has awarded $240,000 to two Muslim men who say they were fired from an Illinois trucking company after refusing to deliver alcohol.

A judge found Morton-based Star Transport Inc. violated the religious beliefs of Mahad Abass Mohamed and Abdikarim Hassan Bulshale. A trial to determine whether they were entitled to damages ended Oct. 20 with the jury's judgment.

A 2013 lawsuit filed by U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said the men wouldn't deliver alcohol because it was against their religious values as practicing Muslims. The lawsuit claimed the company didn't provide them "with a reasonable accommodation and by terminating them because of their religion."

The Journal Star reports it's not clear whether the men will get the money because Star Transport has gone out of business.