Wait a minute. He worked there for 17 years and then was fired for being a Muslim and having a long beard? Did he just convert to Islam and grow the beard recently? No, he’s a Tunisian native and there is no indication that he was anything but a Muslim with a long beard when he was hired. He says he endured regular taunts and harassment at work, although offered no examples or evidence. So he worked there day in and day out for 17 years while enduring harassment and taunts? And then, after 17 years, his “Islamophobic” but amazingly lethargic and unobservant bosses finally notice that he is a Muslim with a long beard, and fire him?
Nothing in this story rings true, except that if you’re a Muslim claiming discrimination, you can get what you want out of a Michigan jury these days.
“Muslim-American man wins nearly $1.2 million in job discrimination case,” by Tresa Baldas for the Detroit Free Press, February 28 (thanks to all who sent this in):
His co-workers may have not seen past his beard, but the jury did.
A Muslim American man from Ypsilanti has won a nearly $1.2-million jury award after successfully arguing he was harassed, taunted and discriminated against at work because of his religion, race and appearance — most notably, his long beard.
Ali Aboubaker, 56, a U.S. citizen and Tunisia native with four advanced degrees, was awarded the judgment on Thursday following a two-week jury trial in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
“We were stunned,” said Aboubaker’s lawyer, Shereef Akeel, who stressed to the jury that his client had several strikes against him.
“I said, ‘Look at him. First of all, his name is Ali Aboubaker. That’s one strike. Look at his beard. That’s two strikes. He’s from Tunisia — an African American — that’s another strike. Can you give this man a fair shake? Look at him, please,” Akeel recalled of the trial.
An “African American”? That in itself shows up Shereef Akeel’s cynicism and disingenuousness.
“And you know what? The jury gave him that fair shake,” Akeel said. “They saw past his beard, past his name, past his race, past his religion. They saw a man who was terribly wronged.”
According to court documents, Aboubaker, a father of four, was an employee of Washtenaw County for 17 years, where he worked his way from bus driver to maintenance technician. He started in 1991 and was fired in 2008 for alleged insubordination — he refused to start working five minutes before his shift officially started.
Aboubaker ended up suing, alleging the real reason behind his firing was discrimination. He claimed that for years, he was subjected to racial and ethnic taunts in the workplace but management didn’t do anything to stop it, his lawsuit stated.
Akeel said the jury never heard the actual ethnic slurs during trial. Aboubaker also sued over a promotion he didn’t get, alleging he was passed over for an entry-level drain-inspector position he lost to less-qualified job candidates.
“They gave the job to someone who wasn’t even in the union,” Akeel said, noting union employees were to get first dibs. “There was no other reason but discrimination — ethnic, religious and race discrimination. Different rules applied to Ali … he was more than qualified for this position.”
Attorney Tom Wurst, who defended Washtenaw County, said he plans to appeal but declined further comment.
In court documents, the county denied having engaged in any discriminatory practices and said Aboubaker had a history of insubordination and poor performance at work. Prior to his termination, the county said, Aboubaker had been disciplined five times for insubordination.
The county also wrote that Aboubaker didn’t get the drain-inspector job because he wasn’t qualified for it. As for the hostile workplace claims, the county wrote: “(Aboubaker) has failed to point to any discriminatory intimidation, ridicule, or insult that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to have altered the conditions of his employment with the County. At most, he has pointed to stray, isolated comments and mere offensive utterances.”
Akeel noted this was a “he-said-she-said” case and the jury believed his client, who lost more than his job when he was fired. His wife left him and he became homeless at the peak of the recession.
“He lost everything,” Akeel said. “He came to America because he believed in America … Now the jury has restored his faith.”
Colin Hills says
Gee I’m gonna start growing a beard!!!!
Bekel Gurmu says
Not in enough, you must come to America from abroad and and change your name.
john spielman says
and belong to a violent religion that threatens to kill if not granted special privileges
Larry A. Singleton says
No shit.
duh_swami says
Maintenance engineers take out the trash and clean up the rest rooms.
In most places they are called ‘janitors’. Not that there is anything wrong with janitorial…Someone has to do it.
eib says
It’s called respectable work.
One of the seven deadly sins: wealth without work.
Only a Muslim would commit it without guilt.
duh_swami says
How do you know it is ‘respectable’ work? Have you ever done it?
Principle Skinner said janitorial work was the most degrading work a man can do. Having been there and done that, I agree with Skinner.
Rob Crawford says
The only “degrading” work is politics. If you felt “degraded”, it was your problem, not the job’s.
dumbledoresarmy says
“Not that there is anything wrong with janitorial…Someone has to do it.”
Yep. Along with the large-scale equivalent (taking out the garbage, putting it in landfill, maintaining the landfill sites; and maintaining the sewage system and sewage treatment works in any major modern city).
I am deeply grateful to the guys who drive the garbage trucks and the guys at who keep the sewage pipes and treatment plants in good repair. If they stopped doing what they do, our modern cities would choke in their own sh*t in no time; and yet they don’t get paid anywhere near as much as the CEOs who swan about in the office towers.
Same thing with the folks who clean floors, empty rubbish bins, wipe down tables, and clean the toilets in big shopping centres and other public places. We’d soon notice if they didn’t exist! When they do their jobs well, they are helping prevent the spread of disease. (One of the most important persons in any big hospital is the cleaner).
It’s heavy (often) and low-paid low-status work …and it’s essential.
When I see the rubber-gloved cleaning ladies in overalls at our local shopping centre shoving their enormous trolleys around, with buckets and brushes and bottles of disinfectant and detergent, I make a point of noticing them, smiling at them and thanking them. Haven’t seen any Muslimas in that particular line of work…
Diann Vail says
this story makes me absolutely sick. What is wrong with the jury? Are they afraid of this guy and his violent ideology? “these” people and all those like him need to be deported from the USA.
Galvin Fox says
the jury was all muslims, they serve each other not the state unless its an islamic state then they’d serve only themselves
Galvin Fox says
the jury was all muslims, they serve each other not the state unless its an islamic state then they’d serve only themselves
voegelinian says
“Unfortunately American juries are suckers in these types of civil cases. They’ll toss money to the plaintiff for any perceived wrong, whether just or not. ”
Even more so if the plaintiff fits the category of an Ethnic Minority Victim of “Discrimination”. Muslims since 911 have become the #1 Aggrieved Minority, not only the US, but throughout the West.
D S Dunlap says
Considering how thoroughly anti-Africans Islam is, I find it GALLING for this man’s lawyer to claim that he was discriminated against for being “African-American.”
Pah!
Mark Dunn says
move the trial to texas.
Sage says
Great idea.
Charli Main says
How the Muslims must laugh and laugh and laugh at the Western, Christian morons kissing their asses at every opportunity.
Ravening Muslims locusts devouring every thing in their path.
Troy S says
Yuck! The insects will love to live in his dirty long beard!
DVult says
Why do we need to import these people in the first place? It would be far better to leave him in Tunisia or wherever.
eib says
Wow.
He comes to America!
His fortune is made!
Not by contribution, but through complaint!
He is worthy only of contempt.
Jay Boo says
“I said, ‘Look at him. First of all, his name is Ali Aboubaker. That’s one strike.
——————
If he were a convert on trial for butchering non-Muslims we would not even hear about his ‘Muslim name’
This Muslim American man from Ypsilanti (which is about 30 miles from Dearborn.) and his lawyer are practicing Dearbornistan Trick-iyya.
Jay Boo says
I sure hope all the meek unassuming peaceful followers of Islam don’t suddenly develop a gross sense of Islamic entitlement over this.
Klondike says
Nahhhh! Why would those hard working humble contributors to Western Civilization do something like that?
Champ says
eye candy, Ladies! 😀
Randy Escrow says
Maybe Boers from South Africa should start referring to themselves as “African Americans” as well.
Aardvark says
The human race originated in Africa.
So everyone in the USA is an African American!
dale says
He was a union member fired for unjust reasons . Why r u bashing him ?
eib says
Well, let’s see.
Maybe because fired workers aren’t supposed to become millionaires at the drop of a hat.
eib says
Tunisia just adopted one of the most liberal constitutions in the region. Their government and society are stable.
What is he doing here?
What???
Defcon 4 says
“liberal constitution” and islam don’t mix. I believe the persecution of Jews has been on the rise in Tunisia — not that there’s many Jews left there.
St. Michael Defend Us says
He has four advanced degrees? In what? Why then, is he working as janitor and bus driver?
Now the taxpayers will suffer. I sure do hope he loses on appeal.
Aardvark says
Yes, I wondered about that. My guess is that they are Islam-related, and therefore totally meaningless and useless in a civilised society.
PRCS says
I’m not sure what maintenance engineering he was involved in, but because the story mentions drain inspector, I suspect it involves storm drains, and such.
One thing that caught my attention, is that he’s a “Muslim-American”.
WTF is that?
Is that like being a Rastafarian-American? Or a Buddhist-American? Or maybe a Jainist-American?
Good grief!
Siddi Nasrani says
Having lived in an Islamic country for a decade I know how the system works !!!!
50% for Ali & 50% for the lawyer!!!!!
All I can say is the jury are fools as well as the judge.
Shame on all of you.
duh_swami says
The duties of a maintenance engineer are, taking out trash, cleaning rest rooms, sweeping and mopping, possibly running an automatic floor scrubber, stripping wax from floors and rewaxing, running a propane or swing buffer, dusting, cob web removal, light bulb replacing, policing the outside of buildings. There is nothing wrong with this line of work, except it doesn’t pay much, and anyone can learn to do it in one day. The real reason he was fired is probably skipping the toilet cleaning responsibilities, How many Mahoundians are willing to clean up kuffar body waste? Most people look at a janitorial nightmare and say, ‘I wouldn’t touch that for a million dollars’…But a maintenance engineer will do it for $10.10 an hour.
Brian C. Hoff says
He as than maintenance engineer did maintenance work on bus engine keeping them running and other just work to keep bus running.
pongidae rex says
He must have been working in an environment where he did not have to be near rotating machinery. Then he would be suing if he was injured…
mortimer says
‘Harassment’? How about ‘teasing’?
Muslims have a sacred view of their supremacism and DEMAND everyone should admire their ENTITLEMENT to be SUPERIOR TO all the dirty kafirs!
We are supposed to love having MUSLIM DISCRIMINATION AGAINST US! But teasing them about their supremacism is VERBOTTEN! Sieg Heil Mohammed.
mortimer says
Bottom line for employers: don’t hire anyone with a jihad-kill-the-kafirs beard.
Terry Zukzinger says
They should let him Handel the drill press.
Terry Zukzinger says
They should let him Handel the drill press.
Reality Check says
Are harassment lawsuits becoming a good business for Muslims in the United States? I am starting to believe that they even advise each other on how to make a nice living without breaking their backs – just file a nice little harassment complaint against your employer and, voila, you don’t have to work for the rest of your life. In America, harassment lawsuits work – back in the place they came from, they would have received a slap across their faces for asking for fairness of any kind. Indeed, they have no hope to be treated well by their own, so let’s go to those oh-so-despised infidels in the West – they pay attention to everybody; ours don’t.
I have worked with Muslims in the Middle East before (thank God, not anymore) and I know from experience that even the easiest are not easy to deal with – although I had a perfect relationship with them, there were always sensitivities to take into account – their sensitivities, not mine. A perfect working relationship with a Muslim always entails A LOT of compromise – on your part, not their part. They are so touchy and always on the lookout for a perceived slight.
To make things even worse, they never work as hard and as well as the people of other religions: they are generally lazy, naturally inefficient and have no sense of urgency in their blood, make a hash of everything, don’t care about perfection and always think that no matter how badly they did something, it’s always good enough.
Their special privileges, however, are beyond any doubt – no one can discuss them at all. They can leave for prayer whenever they wish and be absent from the office as long as they wish; in the meantime you will be doing all the work that should be divided equally among the office employees, so that some fairness can be achieved. But fairness is not even something on their minds when religion is involved.
God forbid that you point out their inconsistencies, poor skills and bad discipline – they will explode right in your face. If they don’t accuse you of harassing them for religious reasons, they will accuse you of personal dislike. It is never their fault; they are always the victims that were minding their business until someone attacked them out of the blue because the critic had nothing better to do.
And while I’m on this, what are the odds that a Christian or any other non-Muslim plaintiff will be paid as much attention as all the obnoxious Muslims who always have some harassment story to tell? What are the odds that a non-Muslim plaintiff will win a case against a workplace where the Muslim employees made tactless remarks about his religion and told him that he has no right to display his beliefs because different beliefs make them short for breath?
Oh, wait! Defending Christians is not in vogue anymore. The West has a long tradition of self-hate and its generally healthy tendency for self-criticism has turned into a most destructive self-flagellation, so some Christians see it as their sacred duty to refrain from defending their own even when they are treated badly by Muslims in their own Christian countries.
In short, their situation in the West is becoming stronger and stronger thanks to the most admirable qualities that non-Muslims possess. Our own goodness is our fall.
If it is so bad now, I just wonder how it will feel under the Sharia Law. I hope I never live to see the day when Sharia is implemented!
voegelinian says
Thanks for your comment; lots of good stuff there.
Paul says
Does anyone know the “cultural” makeup of the jury? Twelve Angry Muslims?
Thomas says
Islam is evil and needs to be stopped. I’m sick of all these people that say it isn’t the religion it’s just some radical. Enough with the bullsh**. Islam kills, period. And if you like your health insurance you can keep it! Obama is on Islams side.
Andrea McGann Little says
Why can’t I ever be on one of these juries?
Vostro says
Because the lawyer tries to weed us out.
eib says
Methinks the Muslim doth protest too much.
Galvin Fox says
Beards can be a problem in some work-places & therefore refusing to remove the beard can be perfectly reasonable grounds for dismissal.
Galvin Fox says
Beards can be a problem in some work-places & therefore refusing to remove the beard can be perfectly reasonable grounds for dismissal.
Jay AJ Burn says
Ridiculous!!
Jay AJ Burn says
Ridiculous!!
Reality Check says
If I set aside a dollar every time I saw a Muslim take it easy at work, I would be smiling as wide as the bearded imbecile above right now.
Londo says
This is really horrible stuff. I spend my who life educating myself, working since the age of 14 (yes, since 14). My first summer vacation was when I was 28 before grad school. I’m past 50 now, have paid my student loan but I still haven’t been able to make that kind of money. This is madness.
Conny Vollweiter says
They have lost ALL common sense, would they do the same for a Jewish man, eh!!
Jamaal Uddin says
NEVER HIRE A MUSLIM! Let muslims apply at Best Buy, the terror supporting company. Boycott Best Buy who donates to CAIR and other islamist groups.
PRCS says
Maintenance Engineer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maintenance_engineering
Colin Jansen says
The jury restored his faith alright, faith in politically correct stupidity.