(Los Angeles Times) Christine Hanley - An African American woman dismissed as principal of an Islamic elementary school in Garden Grove, California, is suing the school and its board, alleging she was the target of racism and bigotry rooted in a long-standing rift between black and immigrant Muslims. Zakiyyah Muhammad said her ouster was orchestrated by the school board's new Pakistani-born president after she had been principal of the Orange Crescent School for five years. The complaint describes her dismissal by the male officers of the Islamic Society, "all men of Pakistani or Arab descent." "The only reason that she was unceremoniously ushered out the door is that Dr. Mirza [Fazal Mirza, president of the Orange Crescent school board] would not work with a principal who was an African American, a member of the indigenous Muslim community in the U.S., and a woman who was not willing to be completely submissive," the lawsuit says. Laura Lee Blake, Muhammad's attorney, said her client tried to resolve her dismissal through the Council on Islamic Education, which found that the decision to dismiss her was hasty, unethical, and violated a number of Islamic principles.
2004-01-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive