June 20, 2001
Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
On June 20, 2001, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "Federal Express Corp. must allow employees to wear beards for religious reasons, the U.S. District Court in Augusta has ruled. The decision came after [Muslim] Khaleed Abdul-Azeez filed a complaint through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming that the company violated his religious beliefs and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with its policy prohibiting employees in customer-contact positions from wearing beards."