A Muslim teacher in Maryland said she is a victim of racism after being suspended for using “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as her email signature.
Hajur El-Haggan, a math teacher at Argyle Middle School, was placed on administrative leave in November after she was told her chosen signature was not allowed.
The Muslim and Arab-American teacher has since filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Maryland Commission on Human Rights against Montgomery County Public Schools.
“I have colleagues who have ‘Black Lives Matter’ in their email signatures, or links to their pronouns and what they mean. My quote does not fall into any other category,” El-Haggan said CUTV.
The complaint stated that after being reprimanded by the school’s principal about her email signature, she offered to remove it, but they then told her she would still be suspended.
Hajur El-Haggan, a math teacher at Argyle Middle School, was placed on administrative leave in November after she was told her email signature reading “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” was not allowed
El-Haggan has since filed a discrimination complaint against Montgomery County Public Schools. In the photo: her email signature
The discrimination complaint, which has also been filed with the local Fair Employment Practices Agency, states that El-Haggan and her colleagues at the school “hold certain personal and political views on various social injustices.”
‘Mrs. El-Haggan was subjected to a partisan attack that occurred on school grounds as a result of her facial expression,” the complaint said.
The 13-page document went on to detail that after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, El-Haggan began wearing shirts with pro-Palestinian slogans on them, respective pins, and wore a red hijab.
The complaint also noted that in addition to El-Haggan, other high school teachers “expressed opinions on various political and social matters.”
One workforce development teacher displayed his signature next to an image that read “Black Lives Matter,” while another had his entire signature written in colorful letters that read “Rainbow Alliance Sponsor.”
‘Just like here in America we have ‘From Sea to Shining Sea’, it’s no different. It is a call for freedom, peace, fundamental rights, humanity and coexistence,” El-Haggan said.
According to the complaint, the day he approached El-Haggan about her signature, the Argyle Middle School principal told El-Haggan that he was “tired of advocating on her behalf.”
He then allegedly told the teacher that “he believed this approach by the county was directly contrary to its own restorative justice policy,” according to the complaint.
The complaint also stated that three days before she was put on leave, the Palestinian flag in her car with the text “Free Palestine” was cut off and written on it.
Another Argyle Middle School teacher’s signature can be seen with a “Black Lives Matter” image on it
A high school English teacher’s signature is seen in colorful letters that read “Rainbow Alliance Sponsor”
El-Haggan’s family is from Egypt and Sudan, and she is “closely connected to the region” and “resonates deeply” with the bond between Egypt and Palestine, the complaint said.
She was hired by the district in 2015, where she started as a fourth-grade teacher before moving on to teach middle school.
According to the complaint, El-Haggan led several student clubs at the school, such as the debate team, creative writing collective and anime club.
The phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” has long been seen by the Jewish population as a call for destruction, but by the Palestinian community and their supporters it has been seen as a peaceful call for liberation.
Since the start of the horrific war between Israel and Palestine, protesters around the world have plastered the slogan on clothing, signs and banners and chanted it during demonstrations.
The Montgomery County Public School district said the math teacher is one of five employees in the district placed on leave for their signatures or social media posts, but did not specifically address each investigation, KUTV reported.
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Great Washington said El-Haggan’s signature could be seen as a “rallying cry” for the “murder and displacement of Jews” and anti-Semitic.
El-Haggan was hired by the district in 2015, where she started as a fourth-grade teacher before moving on to teach middle school
The complaint also stated that three days before she was placed on leave, the Palestinian flag in her car with the text “Free Palestine” was cut off and written on it.
“It is deeply disturbing to see professionals charged with raising and caring for our children endorsing and spreading such hateful messages,” a council spokesperson said.
The council also said it “supports and greatly appreciates” the district’s “quick intervention” to remove the teachers from the school and investigate their situation.
According to the complaint, El-Haggan remains on administrative leave “with no information as to what will happen.”
‘It’s been difficult. “I miss my students every day,” she said.
Although she misses her students, El-Haggan said she wants to be an “advocate” for other Muslim and Arab teachers and educators and ensure they are “protected from discrimination.”
‘Mrs. El-Haggan’s support for freedom for Palestine and the Palestinian people stems from her own identity,” the complaint said.