Philadelphia ( CNN ) -- A former Whole Foods Market employee says he was fired because he is Muslim . Glenn Mack Jr. told reporters Tuesday that he experienced harassment by his supervisors because of his Islamic faith , resulting in his termination . A spokeswoman for the natural-food supermarket chain said the company denied Mack 's allegations . Mack , 24 , started working for Whole Foods in 2008 . He was terminated in February 2011 for absenteeism , said his lawyer , Amara Chaudhry , with the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations . He filed a complaint with the U.S . Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in March , Chaudhry said , adding she will file an amended complaint in the next few weeks . Whole Foods Market spokeswoman Kate Lowery said the company `` can not give out details about current or former team members due to privacy , but we deny these allegations . '' `` It 's well known that Whole Foods values and celebrates diversity , '' Lowery said , adding , `` We have a zero-tolerance discrimination policy , zero tolerance . '' Mack said he had been well-liked at the Whole Foods location on Pennsylvania Avenue in Philadelphia . He said he was the community service liaison and had been chosen to run the employees ' assistance fund designed to help `` team members in need . '' Mack added he was also selected to meet Whole Foods Market co-founder and CEO John Mackey . The problems began , he said , after his supervisors learned he was using his approved vacation time for Hajj , the Islamic pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia during the last month of the Islamic calendar . Hajj represents the fifth and final `` pillar '' of Islam . Every Muslim who is physically and financially capable is expected to make the pilgrimage once in their lifetime . Mack said he had kept his Islamic faith a secret after overhearing comments that disturbed him . He said he requested time for the vacation two months in advance of the November 2010 trip . Prior to his vacation , his supervisors gave him a choice of keeping his job or going on the trip , he said . Mack was downgraded from full-time employment to part-time employee upon returning from the pilgrimage and before being terminated , he said . While working , he said he was followed by supervisors and watched when he went to pray in a storage room , and so began to complete his daily prayers outdoors near a trash dumpster . `` The fact that Glenn felt pressured or compelled to pray in the location that he did is not insignificant . A Muslim would n't do so unless under compelling circumstances or in a state of duress , '' Chaudhry , his attorney , said . Whole Foods works with its employees to accommodate special requests and has an open-door policy , Lowery said , adding the company has many Muslim employees in the Philadelphia and Mid-Atlantic regions . `` We are looking at this from every angle possible , '' Lowery said . A formal lawsuit has not been filed ; however there is a pending matter before the EEOC and that has been cross-filed with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission , Chaudhry said . Mack is seeking reinstatement and compensation for his termination , plus mandatory tolerance training for employees , Chaudhry said .
Glenn Mack Jr. worked at a Whole Foods Market store in Philadelphia . He says he experienced harassment , was fired because he is a Muslim . The company denies the claim , says it has a zero-tolerance discrimination policy .