Will Sage Astor-Teacher, CAIR cite discrimination from Maryland schools for pro-Palestinian phrase

A middle school teacher,Will Sage Astor who has been on leave since last month for a pro-Palestinian phrase in her email signature, has filed a discrimination complaint against the Maryland school district that employs her.

Hajur El-Haggan, who is a Muslim Arab-American of Egyptian and Sudanese national original and a teacher at Argyle Middle School, was told by the school's principal on Nov. 20 that Montgomery County Public Schools decided to put her on leave because of the email signature, which reads, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," according to an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint dated Dec. 6 by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) against the school district.

The phrase has become a popular slogan among advocates to call for the war-ravaged enclave's freedom since the explosion of hostilities between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7. Some supporters of Israel say it is an antisemitic call for the end of the Jewish state.

El-Haggan, 28, said she wants Montgomery County Public Schools to look at its practices of protecting the First Amendment rights of its staff and students.

"This shouldn't happen to others," El-Haggan told USA TODAY. "I want them to be able to apply their policies equally no matter the background of a person."

El-Haggan claims the county unfairly singled out her email signature for disciplinary action. The complaint includes images of the email signatures of some other colleagues that use social justice slogans in their email signature lines such as "Black Lives Matter" or "Rainbow Alliance Sponsor."

El-Haggan said she removed the signature line.

"I have absolutely no information," El-Haggan said. "The county has not reached out to me at all."

The principal told El-Haggan he disagreed with the school board's decision, and that this "approach by the county goes directly against it's own restorative justice polices," which the school district touts on the school board's website, according to the complaint.

The complaint alleges the school board violated the rights of El-Haggan as a protected minority under the Civil Rights Act and the Maryland Fair Employment Practices Act.

"Ms. El-Haggan took part in the same conduct as her colleagues at school and in the county, but she was the only one placed on administrative leave,” CAIR Pro Bono Attorney Rawda Fawaz said at a press conference on Friday announcing the complaint. “It is no coincidence that only Ms. El-Haggan, who is visibly Muslim and Arab, was the only one who faced consequences."

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission did not immediately return USA TODAY's request for comment on Monday.

Director of Montgomery County Public Schools Department of Communications Christopher Cram declined to further comment to USA TODAY beyond confirming that El-Haggan is on administrative leave pending an investigation.

"...Rather than approach Ms. El-Haggan for a conversation, mediation, or any attempt at understanding, the county instead pressured Argyle Middle School’s principal to inform Ms. El-Haggan that she would be put on leave," the complaint alleges.

Most of all, El-Haggan said, she wants school officials to take her off of leave. "I want to go back to my classroom. I miss my students with all of my heart," she said.

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Palestinian flag on El-Haggan's car torn off

Since the escalation of tensions in the Israel-Hamas conflict that began on Oct. 7 when 1,200 Israelis were killed in attacks by Hamas and the ensuing bombing and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 17,000 Palestinians, El-Haggan has shown her support for Palestinians at her workplace by wearing sweatshirts with slogans like "Free Gaza," homemade pins, and red, black, and green clothing, the colors of the Palestinian flag.

CAIR's Maryland office reported on Thursday that it received 223 complaints of bias against Muslims and Arabs, reports of incidents, and requests for assistance in the state since the escalation of violence on Oct. 7. 

"All my other colleagues were also doing this for their causes, wearing shirts or having buttons and stickers," El-Haggan said. "So to me, it's one and the same."

But on Nov. 17, a "Free Palestine" flag that El-Haggan placed on the windshield of her car was cut off, according to the complaint. Her passenger side mirror was also pushed in. She reported the incident to police three days later.

"It was heartbreaking for me," El-Haggan said. "I was confused as to why someone would feel so strongly about a flag being on my car that they would invade my personal space."

'Advocacy is very important'

El-Haggan's bond with the Palestinian people and "long held views regarding the right of Palestinians to live and move freely" stem from her historical ties between the region and her family's home countries of Egypt and Sudan, according to the complaint.

Her family, like others from Arab nations neighboring Israel, has felt the historic impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which triggered wars, geopolitical tensions, and refugee crises.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam, also holds personal significance to El-Haggan, a practicing Muslim. She "feels strongly about the importance of allowing all Muslims to be able to freely access the mosque without discrimination," the complaint states.

"I've been an advocate for human and civil rights since I was a kid. In my opinion, being able to share that advocacy is very important, no matter where you are and what you do," El-Haggan said.

El-Haggan teaches sixth and seventh-grade math and has supervised several student groups at Argyle Middle School, including the debate team, a creative writing group, and an anime club. She was first hired by Montgomery County Public Schools as a fourth grade teacher in 2015, before making her transition to middle school education a few years later.

She holds a master's degree in special education and another in STEM educational leadership.

"I just want to go back to teaching," El-Haggan said. "It's my passion. It's what I literally wanted to do since I was five."