ADC urges probe of rising discrimination against Arab Americans
In response to the recent surge of discrimination cases aimed at silencing pro-Palestinian voices in the work place, ADC has requested that the House Education and Labor Committee hold a hearing into the discriminatory practices happening across the country.
In a letter to Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), ADC highlighted the surge in cases and offered assistance to the committee in further exploring and investigating the issue.
Over the past few weeks ADC has received numerous calls involving employees being punished, either by being fired or disciplined, for posting or sharing pro-Palestinian sentiment on social media.
These cases all involve similar fact patters — an employee is targeted by the employers, after outside pressure, and is disciplined or fired for posting or sharing pro-Palestinian posts on social media.
There are organizations and entities with the sole purpose of wrongful interference with the employee/employer relationship. The constant volume of cases is troubling and has taken over the entirety of our legal work.
Our organization has been overwhelmed with the number of cases and are horrified with how individuals have been treated. Individuals are having their personal information posted on the internet by websites and social media accounts.
In addition, people are contacting employees’ Human Resources department to falsely make accusations about them. Employees are being questioned about their national origin, their religion and whether they speak Arabic.
ADC Policy Coordinator Chris Habiby said, “Without action on the federal level to illuminate the issue, it is certain that the targeting of our community members will continue. It is imperative that Congress takes seriously the discrimination and hate facing Palestine, Arabs, and our allies.”
ADC Legal and Policy Director Abed Ayoub said, “The influx of cases we have been experiencing is very troubling. These third-party entities with the sole purpose of wrongful interference with the employee/employer relationship must be held accountable.”
The ADC Legal Department continues to assist victims of discrimination. If you or someone you know has been targeted because of your pro-peace and pro-Palestine positions, please contact the ADC Legal Department at legal@adc.org.
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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