An Arab American teacher in Maryland was placed on administrative leave due to a complaint filed by a Muslim advocacy group, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), against the Montgomery County school district. CAIR accuses the district of removing middle school teacher Hajar Elhagan from her classroom after she expressed support for Palestinians.
Elhagan's email signature includes the phrase, 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.' CAIR filed a complaint concerning her leave with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Anti-Defamation League, however, deems the slogan anti-Semitic, claiming it has long been used by anti-Israel voices, including supporters of terrorist organizations like Hamas.
Elhagan spoke out, asserting her intention behind the message was not one of malice or discrimination, but evenly applied justice across all oppressed groups. She acknowledged the varied interpretations of her email tag, specifically those viewing it as anti-Semitic, and emphasized the need to understand the slogan's intended meaning: freedom and justice for Palestinians.
However, there is a problem with the district's application of policies. Other teachers had reportedly been including political slogans linked to movements such as Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ in their email signatures. Elhagan, on the other hand, was the only one disciplined for her digital appendage, leading to the argument that Arab and Muslim employees are being targeted disproportionately with the application of these policies.
The aim of the complaint filed by CAIR is to call out this discrepancy and fight against what is perceived as an attempt to punish Arab and Muslim employees for expressing support for Palestinians.
The Montgomery County School District policy mandates its employees to maintain professional email signatures, devoid of, 'special stationary quotations or sayings.' The district declared Elhagan would remain on administrative leave, pending an investigation. Despite Elhagan offering to remove the slogan voluntarily from her email to return to the classroom, the district denied her proposal. Elhagan expressed regret at how the situation escalated but upheld her belief in justice and freedom for all oppressed people.
