A Muslim Egyptian woman says she was fired from her job as a bookkeeper at an Easton church because she complained about religious discrimination by the monsignor who was her supervisor, according to a federal lawsuit against the Diocese of Allentown.
In a response filed in federal court in Allentown this week, the diocese said it eliminated Omayma Arafa’s job at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Easton as a cost-saving measure. The diocese also says Arafa apparently misconstrued Monsignor Edward Zemanik’s efforts to be respectful of Arafa’s religious beliefs as discrimination.
“There was certainly no religious discrimination,” diocese attorney David Steckel said.
Arafa worked at St. Anthony from 2007 until January 2009, when she was let go. Her lawsuit, filed May 2, said the trouble began when Zemanik was assigned to the church and immediately displayed a “cold, distant and hostile attitude” toward Arafa.