EEOC Complaint Filed over Discrimination against Maryland Muslim Teacher
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) plans to hold a news conference announcing the complaint.
CAIR has filed a complaint with the EEOC against AACPS alleging that the school system placed Saera Suhail, a Muslim, Pakistani teacher at North County High School, under investigation because she sent an email to staff expressing concerns about a hostile email sent by one of their colleagues that included offensive language and links related to the Israeli war on Gaza.
AACPS retaliated against Ms. Suhail because she called out offensive conduct that created a hostile work environment. Instead of addressing Ms. Suhail’s concerns, AACPS accused her of insubordination for sending an “unapproved” email, even though Ms. Suhail did not need approval to call out discrimination. Furthermore, Ms. Suhail’s colleagues all participated in the same conduct, but only Ms. Suhail was disciplined.
CAIR’s complaint states in part:
“Ms. Suhail’s colleague’s email was replete with language and links which collectively pushed a biased and discriminatory narrative about the people in a region Ms. Suhail closely identifies with due to her identity as a Muslim. Ms. Suhail feared that she and others who share her identity would be subject to dangerous bias and stereotyping in the workplace as a result of the email.”
The complaint further points out that “Ms. Suhail was engaged in protected activity; she sent a message which pointed out to the staff the problematic and discriminatory language included in the initial email.”
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“Since October 7th, we have seen a concerning number of Muslim public-school teachers in Maryland face retaliation for protected activities or for engaging in conduct that their non-Muslim colleagues also engage in,” said CAIR Attorney Rawda Fawaz. “This blatant Islamophobia has created an overall hostile and tense environment for Muslim teachers, who are now less likely to advocate for themselves in the workplace due to fears of unfair retaliation. Maryland Counties, including AACPS, have used flimsy excuses to discriminate against teachers in violation of Title VII, and to chill any speech related to Palestine in any context.”
“This troubling pattern of selective retaliation against educators who challenge biased, hostile or inappropriate rhetoric is leading to infringing on constitutionally protected rights in Maryland public schools,” said CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry. “Teachers play an integral role in the development of the ability to think critically, yet many teachers feel targeted over the crackdown on free speech. At a time when there’s already a shortage of teachers, Anne Arundel Co. Public Schools must do better to protect their staff’s well-being and interests.”
Washington, D.C., based CAIR issued guidance to U.S. employers in response to a spike in Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian rhetoric by companies as a result of the ongoing Israeli war against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
CAIR also issued a template pledge opposing anti-Arab bias and Islamophobia for those employers who want to honor their commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion while clearly rejecting bigotry.
Source: Cair.com
