KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 — JD Sports Malaysia said a Pavilion outlet supervisor acted wrongly in barring Muslim employees from prayers and has been fired.

In a message posted on Instagram, the sportswear retailer insisted that the incident was isolated and not part of a larger company guideline.

“We would like to inform and assure all our Muslim customers, friends and partners that this is not a policy that we practice [sic], and it is solely an action of one individual that went against the essence of JD Sports as a brand and company. We do not condone such disrespectful behaviour.

“We have investigated this incident and identified the irresponsible staff involved. The said staff has also been terminated with immediate effect as JD Sports treats this matter with utmost seriousness,” it said.

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The firm added that it supported all forms of religious and cultural beliefs, and was against any type of discrimination.

An Instagram user previously contacted the firm about an allegation that the outlet was barring its Muslim workers from performing their daily prayers.

He appended a screen capture purportedly of a WhatsApp group for the store, in which a user tagged as a supervisor warns workers that “In JD there is no solat or prayer! If you cannot take this send in ur resignation will do!”

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This incident is the latest case of workplace discrimination in Malaysia, following complaints by some front-line hotel workers that they were barred from wearing headscarves by employers.

In response, the Human Resources Ministry said it will soon amend the Employment Act 1955 to prohibit “all forms” of discrimination at work.