How about some forced Bible sessions for Muslism in the U.S.?

[Ivo Skoric]

PRESS ADVISORY

Contact: Debra S. Katz
202-745-1942

Date: September 20, 2004

MUSLIM WSSC ENGINEER BRINGS SUIT AGAINST WSSC CHARGING THAT UTILITY
SUBJECTED HIM TO RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS HARASSMENT POST 9/11, INCLUDING
VICIOUS ASSAULTS, DEATH THREATS AND FORCED BIBLE SESSIONS, BUT THAT
WSSC OFFICIALS, INCLUDING FORMER GENERAL MANAGER JOHN GRIFFIN, FAILED
TO TAKE ANY ACTION TO PROTECT HIM OR TO STOP THE MISCONDUCT

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            Baltimore, MD.   On September 17, 2004, United States
            District
Court J. Frederick Motz of the District Court of Maryland  issued an
Order permitting the filing of a racial and religious harassment law
suit against the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission ("WSSC"), 
the
water treatment authority for Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties,
and one of the largest water treatment authorities in the nation.  
The
suit, brought by Ebrahim Radbod, a civil engineer, alleges that from
1991 when Mr. Radbod became employed by WSSC continuing through 2003,
plaintiff's WSSC supervisors placed intense pressure on Mr. Radbod, 
an
Iranian-born Muslim who has lived in the D.C. area for the past 15
years, to convert to Christianity or else suffer adverse employment
actions.  On a regular basis, WSSC supervisors pressured him to 
attend
Christian bible study sessions at work, to discuss Christian 
scripture
during work hours, and to read religious pamphlets they provided to
him that promoted Christianity, despite his repeated objections.  The
suit alleges that on a regular basis, WSSC managers and employees
denigrated Mr. Radbod's religion and subjected him to religious
harassment, expressing inappropriate and offensive remarks about
Islam.  When Mr. Radbod declined their requests to attend Christian
bible study sessions or church services, his supervisors openly
retaliated against him by denying him promotional opportunities and
other employment benefits, informing him that "until you kneel down
and accept Jesus Christ, no doors will open for you."



            The suit further alleges that after the terrorist attacks
            of
September 11, 2001, WSSC's religious, racial, and national origin
harassment and discrimination against him intensified markedly.  The
suit alleges that on September 12, 2001, only one day after the
terrorist attacks, a contractor of WSSC swung a metal pipe at Mr.
Radbod while he was on a narrow catwalk many feet in the air, and 
that
on September 13 and 14, 2001, other WSSC contractors ganged up on Mr.
Radbod and physically and verbally threatened him, while yelling
anti-Muslim statements.  Continuing to the present, WSSC's employees
and contractors have subjected Mr. Radbod to repeated threats on his
life; to physical assaults; to intimidating interrogation; and to
extreme verbal harassment, routinely referring to him as "Bin Laden"
and "Saddam's ass."  The suit alleges that Mr. Radbod lodged repeated
complaints to his supervisors and other high-ranking WSSC officials,
including John Griffin, WSSC's then General Manager, but that WSSC
failed to adequately respond to the harassment or take appropriate
corrective action.  The suit further alleges that the tires of Mr.
Radbod's car were slashed on several occasions post 9/11, including
during the summer of 2004, while parked at WSSC.  The suit alleges
that as recently as August 2004, while working at the Patuxent water
filtration plant, Mr. Radbod was harassed at his worksite after being
questioned about whether he was from Iraq.  After Mr. Radbod 
responded
that he was from Iran, workers surrounded him and yelled, "Hey, guys,
we caught one of them - we caught one




 of them right here," apparently in reference to catching a terrorist
 or
terrorist suspect.  He then turned back to Mr. Radbod and said 
"You're
dead, you're done.  You better watch your back and don't walk under
and on the scaffolds around here," because something might fall on
him.  After Mr. Radbod reported this assault to the police and to 
WSSC
management, his supervisor informed him that his life was "in danger"
there and removed him from the site. 



            According to Debra S. Katz, Mr. Radbod's attorney, with
            the D.C.
based civil rights law firm, Bernabei & Katz, PLLC, "Mr. Radbod's 
case
is one of the strongest post 9/11 backlash cases I have ever seen. 
What makes this case particularly egregious is that the harassment 
and
attacks are occurring at a public agency and that WSSC management has
repeatedly been put on notice about this serious misconduct but has
refused to do anything about it.  WSSC management have essentially
given the message over and over that it in this political climate, it
is open-season on Muslim and Arab employees.  Through this suit, we
intend to hold WSSC accountable for this deplorable and illegal
conduct."  



- END- 





-----------------------------------------------
ADC: 25 Years of Dedicated Service to Civil and Human Rights
1980 - 2005
-----------------------------------------------
Kareem W. Shora, JD, LL.M.
Director, Legal Policy
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
Legal Department
4201 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC  20008
Phone: 202-244-2990
Fax:  202-244-3196
http://www.adc.org 

---------------------------------------------------------
Ivo Skoric
19 Baxter Street
Rutland VT 05701
802.775.7257
ivo at balkansnet.org
balkansnet.org