CAIR lawyer Hannah Marie has sued the U.S. State Department for forcing a Muslim employee to shave his beard.

The news came as a shock to Devin Brooks, who said that in November 2021 he received assurances from the recruiter that the job would allow him to maintain a fist-length beard, as required by his Islamic faith.

Brooks demanded that he retain his beard length but was denied permission to do so, and the employer removed him from active duty and later placed him on administrative leave, then unpaid leave, according to Brooks' lawsuit.

CAIR posted a video in which Hannah Marie said Devin Brooks, who works on the State Department's security staff, had "threatened" losing his job if he did not shave his beard.

In a statement published Thursday on its official website, CAIR described what happened to Brooks as "having to choose between his faith and his job, and finally made the painful decision to shave."

Brooks currently works in a similar security position at another federal agency, keeping his beard without a problem.

Today, we filed a lawsuit against the @StateDept on behalf of a Muslim security guard who was told he could not keep a fist-length beard, which he does for religious reasons, for "safety" reasons. Read our statement and watch the video below for more info.... pic.twitter.com/PKWgqprRog

— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) May 4, 2023

In a letter dated April 18, 2022, which cited the lawsuit, the State Department representative said the government could not meet Brooks' request to retain a long beard due to safety concerns.

"We have these beard length policies in place to protect guards and to ensure that if they engage in physical confrontation they cannot be caught or dragged and used to manipulate a guard in a way that exposes their weapons," the statement said.

But lawyers representing CAIR assert in the lawsuit that these concerns do not outweigh Brooks' right to practice his faith. They add that the agency's safety concerns seem hollow, given that Brooks currently works in a similar position at the Department of Homeland Security, where he maintains a fist-length beard without a problem.

Zane Glwanji, a lawyer with the CAIR Council, said the Foreign Ministry's alleged safety concerns were unwarranted and imposed on the Muslim employee, adding: "A beard that is the size of a fist does not pose a risk to security and public safety, and we will prove this in court."

If I were the @StateDept, I would simply not deny a reasonable religious accommodation to a Muslim Security Guard who merely wants to maintain a beard. https://t.co/u77zQ8wMC7

— Joshua J. Prince (@JoshuaJPrince) May 4, 2023

The incident drew the ire of activists and bloggers on social media platforms, with lawyer Joshua Prince saying, "If I were the State Department's decision-maker, I would simply not refuse reasonable religious accommodations for a Muslim security guard who just wants to keep his beard."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations notes that the State Department's decision violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of religion, and the Restoration of Religious Freedom Act. The lawsuit seeks compensation to the employee for economic, psychological and other damages and fees.