DETROIT – On Thursday, Feb. 27,  a jury at the Eastern District Federal Court awarded $1.1 million to a former Arab American Washtenaw County employee for being wrongly denied promotion and terminated by the county.

Ali Aboubaker, a Tunisian American, was fired from his job at Washtenaw County in 2008, a few months after “expressing frustration” that his application for a promotion was turned down, according to court documents. 

Aboubaker is a devout Muslim and wears a long beard for religious purposes. He started working for the county in 1991 and filed the lawsuit in 2011.

Aboubaker’s attorney Shareef Akeel said his client applied for a drain inspector position in the county’s maintenance department, but he was not even called for an interview, even though he had all the needed qualifications and certificates. “He was also the only union member to apply for the job, and union people get a preference for vacant position,” said the lawyer.

Aboubaker has a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University, two associate degrees from Kalamazoo Valley Community College, as well as a heating and cooling certificate.

He worked at a warehouse for the county. Court documents state that the defendants admitted that “such a job is for employees, who had a grade level less than” Aboubaker.

Akeel added that his client had been called names, such as “terrorist, Bin Laden and al-Qaeda” by his coworkers and supervisors because of his religious appearance. He was also denied breaks for midday and Friday prayers.

The court complaint stated that there was a “repeated pattern of discrimination” against Aboubaker 

“It’s unbelievable. To come to a federal court and win $1.1 million against the County of Washtenaw is amazing,” said Akeel. “This is the spirit of America. The jurors saw a man that was terribly wronged by the County of Washtenaw, and they let the county know it. Today was a great day for civil rights.”