Last week, State Representative Rashida Tlaib went public with detailed allegations of sexual harassment by ADC’s Regional Director Imad Hamad against her and other female interns during her time spent at the organization. The ADC has finally agreed to the gravity of the situation and decided to perform a thorough investigation, which is a good step in the right direction. These are very serious allegations coming from a credible person.  Having worked with Representative Tlaib on legislative and community issues in the past, I have great respect for her. It takes an extreme amount of courage to come forward and bring this topic to light. Sexual harassment and sexual misconduct should be unequivocally and unilaterally condemned, especially by men, in any community.  In our conservative community this condemnation should happen without question. No one would accept this behavior towards his mother, sister, wife, or daughter.

Attorney Abed Hammoud.

While ADC has suspended Hamad pending a full investigation, from a community perspective, this issue goes well beyond ADC and Hamad, and it needs to be addressed. This is just a symptom of a problem that needs to be tackled in a very serious and effective manner. This is not the first time this situation has come to light in our community. There have been several instances of sexual harassment in the community as well as in our schools. However, these issues are not limited to the Arab and Muslim community; we are no different from the rest of the country. Even the military has had to confront sexual harassment head on.

What makes us different is the fact that we are a close knit community which prides itself on its strong family values, honor, and integrity. We have close relationships with each other; therefore, we should all feel affected. In order to change this abusive behavior, we must acknowledge and accept the effect adults have on our children. We need to change the way we raise our children. When school-aged boys observe their parents, it is only natural for them to imitate that behavior.  

It startles me to hear the conversations of men in the community questioning the intentions and timing of Tlaib’s decision to go public with her plight. “Why did she wait so long? What’s in it for her?” While a full investigation is required to determine what really happened, this reaction is exactly why it took so long for her to gain the courage needed to confront this issue. When we doubt the intentions and integrity of the victims without knowing all of the facts, it makes it that much more difficult for others affected by this type of behavior to come forward. It is not easy for a woman in any culture, let alone our conservative culture, to come forward to describe the things Tlaib described. Regardless of how long ago the events took place, as a community, we should be supporting Tlaib and the others. What should be said is “better late than never.” It is time to stand up and work to eliminate these problems from our community!

We must work together to raise the next generation to respect and appreciate the contributions of our young women to society. It is time to reach out to all the women around us and open the doors of opportunity so their talents can be utilized in nonprofit organizations and in businesses. Women should not be exploited in exchange for opportunity. There are many positive examples already in our community, for example the great leadership role women have been playing inside organizations such as AAPAC. However, this needs to be done on a much broader scale and at a faster pace.

We have so many stories of successful Arab American and Muslim women who make us proud every day. Our women have shown that they can be great business leaders, public servants, lawyers, prosecutors and judges. Let’s expand this and give the opportunity for many more to shine. It is not just the right thing to do for these women, but it is also good for our community, for our society and for our country.