An Iranian-American Muslim who taught
mathematics at the University of Alabama for more than a decade has filed a
federal lawsuit against UA’s Board of Trustees for job discrimination, alleging
that university employees harassed him and gave preferential treatment to
Christians, especially after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Seyed Moosavi claims that his Christian co-workers, including Interim Director
of Introductory Mathematics Gail Queen and Professor Nancy Fisher, harassed him
regarding his ethnicity and religious beliefs. Queen and Fisher are named in
the lawsuit but are not listed as defendants.
After Sept. 11, 2001, the inappropriate comments, actions and harassment
intensified and continued," the complaint states.
Queen, who was Moosavi’s direct supervisor, said UA’s counsel had suggested
that she not comment.
Fisher, who has retired, said she had no comment.
In the court papers, Moosavi claims that he was turned down for a teaching
position he interviewed for in 2002, a job he says Queen and Fisher
participated in interviewing him for.
UA spokeswoman Janet Griffith said Moosavi did not get the job because he was
not as qualified as the chosen candidates.
Those who were selected were of different nationalities including some from
the Middle East," Griffith said, adding that one individual was from Iran.
Moosavi, who declined to be interviewed unless his attorney was present, says
that the actions of UA’s employees were a violation of his civil rights.
Moosavi had taught math courses in temporary positions at UA since 1989.
He was working as a temporary full-time instructor earning $29,248 annually in
May 2002 when his two-year renewable appointment expired.
He interviewed for one of six full-time temporary positions in the Mathematics
Department that were available but did not get any of them, Moosavi alleges, at
least in part because of his race and religion.
Moosavi resides in Tuscaloosa and is enrolled in the doctoral program in
educational research at UA, Griffith said. He teaches at UA as a graduate
teaching assistant in education, she said.
Moosavi has asked the U.S. District Court to order UA to place him in the
mathematics teaching job he did not get and to pay him compensatory and other
damages.
The lawsuit was filed Aug. 5 in federal court in Birmingham. The case has been
assigned to Magistrate-Judge John E Ott.
UA Faculty Senate President John Mason said he was not aware of Moosavi’s
lawsuit before Tuesday.