Samer Ilayan, MD, is suing Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Corewell Health for alleged religious discrimination, ABC affiliate WXYZ reported March 27.
Dr. Ilayan was an attending at Corewell Health's Beaumont Athens Clinic in Taylor, Mich., and is a practicing Muslim. He requested five-minute breaks for daily prayer as well as time for weekly Friday prayers and was denied by his employer, according to the news outlet.
He was terminated a year after starting as an attending, and he claimed there was no reason for firing written in his termination letter.
"They started acting differently to me," Dr. Ilayan told WXYZ. "Your culture is different here. The way you are acting is different than what we are used to. They began making allegations against my professionalism and patient care."
Corewell Health denied the allegations.
"The allegations in Dr. Ilayan's lawsuit are false," a spokesperson for Corewell Health told the news outlet. "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."