The controversial Islamic organization that the White House severed ties with after its head said it was “satisfied” with Hamas's Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel has been accused of sexual assault and harassment. is facing suspicion of
The lawsuit could force the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to open its books amid allegations that secret foreign donors fund its multimillion-dollar budget. .
Lori Saroya was once, in the words of those who knew her, CAIR's “golden child.”
Based in Blaine, Minn., Ms. Saroya, who served as president of the CAIR chapter, became so important to national leadership that the government brought her to the White House because she was the group's “pride and joy.” He trained them to become senior leaders.
Now, Saroya, 42, is fighting an ugly legal battle that is shaping up to be CAIR's worst nightmare. controversial Muslim civil rights group and These include allegations of sexual assault and harassment involving several CAIR leaders.
Saroya, who is currently the first Muslim to serve on the Blaine City Council, filed a federal defamation lawsuit against the organization in federal court in Minnesota last week.
The suit was in response to In a statement released by CAIR in January 2022, Saroya accuses him of “cyberstalking” CAIR staff and using burner emails and social media accounts to spread “Islamophobic tropes and conspiracy theories” about the organization. .
In her complaint, Saroya said Press Release was bullied online and was so scared that she stopped going to the mosque. She also said that the allegations in her press release were brought up during her job interview, and that she was not offered the job by those people.
She said she left CAIR after calling on the organization to investigate allegations of sexual assault and harassment against several leaders, including Mr. Saroya, whom other members praised as “courageous.” Saroya said the incident was “unwelcome and highly inappropriate behavior.” towards her.
Mr. Saroya's complaint comes nearly two years after CAIR dismissed a federal defamation lawsuit against him. The lawsuit accuses the leaders of conducting a “systematic and sustained internet smear campaign designed to cause harm” against Saroya. [CAIR’s] It can damage your reputation and cause serious financial damage. ”
CAIR also alleges in the lawsuit that Saroya “voluntarily terminated CAIR” after a female employee said Saroya had harassed her to the extent that “the female employee considered seeking a restraining order.” He resigned.''
Saroya has called CAIR's claims “grossly false” in her civil complaint, and one of her lawyers said in the lawsuit that all of the organization's accusations “smear her reputation.” , part of a concerted effort to destroy her credibility and silence her and other perpetrators.” She raised serious concerns about, among other things, CAIR's mistreatment of women, dishonesty, and civil rights violations. ”
“The indictment reveals a record of serious problems within an organization that maintains its position as a civil rights organization, but which, as the indictment makes clear, has engaged in a pattern of behavior to the contrary. '' said Jeff Robbins, Saroya's Boston-based attorney. he told the Post.
CAIR was formed in 1994 by a group of young Muslim activists concerned about growing anti-Muslim discrimination and is now the largest Muslim civil rights organization in the United States, with approximately 33 local chapters across the country.
But there is also controversy surrounding the group and its very powerful co-founder of CAIR, Nihad Awad, who is Palestinian-American.
The Biden administration last month said it had ended work with CAIR on developing a national anti-Semitism strategy after Awad said he was “glad” to have witnessed the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. Announced.
Awad made the shocking remarks at the 16th Annual Palestine Conference in Chicago on November 24, according to video footage. Distributed by Middle East Media Research Institute.
New Venture Fund — part of a liberal dark money network — donated $40,000 CAIR Arizona Chapter Shared the template on Instagram To help others denounce school administrators and employers who have issued “pro-Israel” statements.
So was CAIR. National Public Radio's long-running investigation shakes it up in April 2021 The story focused primarily on then-CAIR Florida branch chief Hassan Sibley and allegations of secret marriages, bullying, and sexual harassment.
Sibley denied the allegations reported by NPR.
The report included allegations from other senior leaders at CAIR as well as a number of women who had issues with Sibley.
Aslam Abdullah, a religious scholar based in Southern California, told NPR that many women have come forward with credible allegations of harassment, sexual misconduct, or mistreatment against senior men within CAIR or CAIR affiliates. He said he had filed a complaint. These women do not believe CAIR National's investigation is fair and are refusing to cooperate, he told the outlet.
But Saroya was unique in having the courage to stand up to CAIR's leadership, according to several people who knew her. She led the CAIR Minnesota chapter from 2007 to 2016 until she resigned from CAIR in 2018, after which she jumped into the national office as the national chapter's development director and director.
A former CAIR volunteer, who did not wish to be identified publicly, told the Post that he witnessed the same abusive behavior by CAIR senior leadership that Saroya alleged. She accused Awad of creating a culture of fear at CAIR and allowing executives to target staff and volunteers, primarily women.
“This is a question of power, and Awad and some others see women as easy targets,” she says. “He runs an organization and has cult-like status, so everyone does whatever they want. CAIR is also a legal organization, so there are a lot of lawyers. I was threatened. . I was threatened by their litigation director.
“The problem is, this is the only civil rights organization.” [Muslims] I have,” she added. “So people think that women like me and Lori should accept all of this because if we undermine this organization, there will be no one else. That's why Lori is brave enough to fight back. is.”
When contacted by the Post for comment on the article's allegations, CAIR spokesperson Ibrahim Hooper forwarded the January 2022 press release.
Saroya says in her lawsuit that she was owed wages after leaving, but claims CAIR told her it would only pay her if she promised not to make negative comments about the organization.
Saroya told the Post that because the lawsuit is pending, she could not comment other than to send a statement via email. Her lawsuit outlines CAIR's “unfortunate record of sanctioning and tolerating serious allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination within its organization, and retaliating against women who raise these issues and bring forward discrimination.” It is said that it is a thing. It is deeply dishonest to the general public, the Muslim American community, and even its board of directors. ”
“CAIR's defamatory statements against me were intended to intimidate not only me but others like me,” she said in an email. “The purpose of this lawsuit is to hold CAIR and its leadership accountable, which is long overdue.”
Saroya's lawsuit alleges defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She is seeking at least $75,000 in damages and an injunction forcing CAIR to retract its press release and remove it from public view.
