OAK PARK — The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a lawsuit in Oakland County Circuit Court on behalf of a Muslim former municipal employee who alleges that the city of Oak Park and three of its employees subjected her to religious and national-origin discrimination, sexual harassment, privacy violations and retaliation.

The verified complaint, filed Aug. 19 by CAIR-MI Legal Fund attorneys Jad Salamey and Amy Doukoure, names the city and employees Stephanie Prister, Ariana Grefke and India England as defendants.

Plaintiff Tammara Saloum, a Dearborn resident and practicing Muslim of Iraqi descent, began working for Oak Park as a records clerk on June 24, 2024. Her responsibilities included processing Freedom of Information Act requests, firearm permits and other municipal and police records.

According to the lawsuit, Saloum initially considered the position an opportunity to rebuild her career after a traumatic experience at a previous workplace. Instead, she alleges that she encountered a hostile environment marked by anti-Muslim and ethnic remarks, sexually degrading rumors and the disclosure of highly sensitive personal information.

The allegations have not been proven in court, and the city disputes that it tolerated discrimination.

Ramadan remarks alleged

The complaint alleges that after Saloum informed Prister in March 2025 that she would be fasting during Ramadan, Prister questioned whether she would be able to perform her duties and suggested that she might “pass out” or “be grumpy” while fasting.

Prister also allegedly said that “a lot of Islamics” had caused problems in Oak Park, according to the complaint.

Saloum reported those remarks to a Human Resources representative, who allegedly acknowledged that they reflected an “ignorant problem” involving Muslims and said comparable remarks about Black employees would be recognized as discriminatory.

The lawsuit alleges that Prister was not formally disciplined and that no notation was placed in her personnel file. Instead, she was directed to complete two days of training.

The complaint further alleges that Saloum experienced difficulties obtaining religious accommodations. Approval to leave early during Ramadan was allegedly reversed, while she was required to use personal leave to observe Eid.

In April 2025, Grefke allegedly described imams in derogatory terms, disparaged the public call to prayer and made offensive comments linking Saloum to another person because of their perceived Middle Eastern background.

The lawsuit also alleges that Grefke and England spread false, sexually explicit rumors about Saloum and an Oak Park police detective. Those accusations, the complaint says, were intended to humiliate her and damage her reputation among coworkers.

Confidential records allegedly accessed

One of the lawsuit’s most serious allegations concerns the possible misuse of the Courts and Law Enforcement Management Information System, or CLEMIS, a restricted police database.

The complaint alleges, “upon information and belief”, that Prister used the system to obtain information about Saloum’s prior employment with the Dearborn Police Department and then disclosed sensitive details to other employees without her permission.

Those records included information connected to Saloum’s report that she had previously been sexually assaulted while working for the Dearborn Police Department, according to the complaint. The lawsuit alleges that the information was subsequently used to bully and humiliate her.

The complaint also alleges that Prister acknowledged knowing about the prior assault and disclosing information about it without Saloum’s consent.

In a separate incident in January 2025, Prister allegedly displayed Saloum’s personnel file and date of birth to another person without authorization.

Saloum further alleges that coworkers mocked flowers delivered to her workplace, made sexual comments about a light on her desk and suggested that the flowers had been sent by someone associated with Dearborn.

Complaints followed by alleged retaliation

Saloum began reporting the alleged conduct to Human Resources and city management in early May 2025, according to the lawsuit. She claims that the harassment intensified after she complained.

The alleged retaliation included reducing her work assignments while transferring duties to non-Muslim and non-Middle Eastern employees, scheduling her for holidays and alternating Fridays without appropriate overtime compensation and failing to address her complaints effectively.

Saloum eventually took medical leave. Her request for leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act was approved July 7, and her continuous leave began Aug. 15, 2025.

The lawsuit says she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and generalized anxiety disorder and continues to receive mental health treatment. Her physician and therapist allegedly recommended that she immediately remove herself from the workplace because her symptoms had worsened.

On Oct. 29, Saloum received a notice directing her to return by Nov. 4 or have her continued absence classified as job abandonment, according to the complaint.

She subsequently filed a joint discrimination complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The Michigan Department of Civil Rights dismissed the administrative complaint on Feb. 17, finding insufficient evidence to proceed. That administrative dismissal did not prevent Saloum from pursuing her allegations in court.

Lawsuit outlines seven claims

The lawsuit asserts seven legal claims: hostile work environment based on religion, hostile work environment based on national origin, sex-based hostile work environment and sexual harassment, retaliation, defamation, intrusion upon seclusion and public disclosure of private facts.

It seeks compensation for psychological and emotional harm, lost wages, economic losses and lost employment opportunities, as well as exemplary damages, legal expenses and other relief.

The complaint also calls for structural reforms, mandatory employee training and monitoring intended to prevent discrimination and ensure a safe workplace for city employees. Saloum has requested a jury trial.

“I believed that working for the city would provide stability and protection,” Saloum said in a statement released through CAIR-MI. “Instead, I experienced the opposite.”

She said the experience forced her to reconsider not only her professional future, but also her trust in a system she once believed would protect her.

Salamey, CAIR-MI’s immigration and civil rights staff attorney, said employees have a fundamental right to workplaces free from discrimination, harassment and retaliation.

He alleged that Saloum repeatedly informed city officials about the treatment she was experiencing, but that they failed to take effective measures to protect her or stop the alleged misconduct.

Doukoure, a CAIR-MI staff attorney, said public employees should never be forced to choose between their livelihoods and their right to be treated with dignity.

“When an employee is subjected to religious hostility, sexual harassment or the disclosure of deeply sensitive personal information, and the employer knows but fails to take effective corrective action, the harm extends beyond the individual,” she said.

City cites earlier dismissal

Oak Park said it takes allegations involving discrimination, privacy and workplace conduct seriously.

“The city of Oak Park maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding discrimination and expects all employees to uphold the highest ethical and professional standards,” city Communications and Public Information Director Brittany M. Toth said in a statement to CBS News Detroit.

The city pointed to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights’ determination that there was insufficient evidence to continue its administrative investigation.

Officials also said the city had not yet been formally served with the lawsuit and would not provide additional comments on pending litigation.

Oak Park is located in Oakland County, immediately north of Detroit, and has a population of approximately 30,000.