Insurer Uses Koran to Deny Car Crash Claim

Now the company's 'sorry'
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 29, 2010 4:20 AM CDT
Updated Sep 29, 2010 5:45 AM CDT
Insurer Turns to Koran to Deny Algerian's Claim
A German insurance executive looked to inspiration from the Koran to deny a claim.   (AP Photo/Anita Powell)

A German insurance company found itself in hot water after one of its executives refused to cover maid costs for an Algerian immigrant injured in a car crash after interpreting the Koran as saying that Muslim husbands "don't run a household." His relationship with his wife "can't be assumed to resemble a German marriage," she wrote. The man's wife, 26 years younger, will likely perform the housework, and she's not the claimant, the executive noted. In fact, the wife reportedly has a career and her 79-year-old husband does most of the household chores.

Gothaer company officials have announced they will apologize to the customer. "Something like this simply must not happen," said a spokeswoman, citing the worker's unacceptable "tone," and failure to adhere to the firm's anti-discrimination policy. It's not yet clear if the firm will cover the claim, however, reports Der Spiegel. One blogger noted that Christians shouldn't be compensated if they're injured working on a Sunday, their day of rest.
(More Koran stories.)

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