Samer Ilayan, MD, is suing Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Corewell Health for alleged religious discrimination that resulted in his termination, ABC affiliate WXYZ reported March 27.
Dr. Ilayan was an attending physician at Beaumont Athens Clinic in Taylor, Mich. A practicing Muslim, he requested five-minute breaks for daily prayer and time to attend weekly Friday prayers. His request was denied, according to the report.
"They started acting differently to me. ... They began making allegations against my professionalism and patient care," Dr. Ilayan told WXYZ.
He said he was placed on a performance improvement plan for missing patient appointments and later fired without a reason given on his termination letter.
Corewell denied the allegations and shared a statement with the news outlet: "The allegations in Dr. Ilayan's lawsuit are false. During Dr. Ilayan's employment, he requested and received religious accommodation for time in his schedule dedicated to prayer. We are committed to providing reasonable workplace accommodations whenever possible for religious beliefs and practices."