Islamic schoolteacher claims racism, sexism

A teacher at a Sydney Islamic school has described years of ­racial and sexual discrimination, allegedly blamed for being physically assaulted and having a miscarriage because she was a working woman.

Sherin Mohamed when she was acting principal. Picture: SBS

A teacher at a Sydney Islamic school has described years of ­racial and sexual discrimination by board members and the school’s principal, with alleged comments about her being “another Arab on compo”, blamed for being physically assaulted and having a miscarriage because she was a working woman.

Sherin Mohamed worked at the Australian Islamic College of Sydney in Mount Druitt for 12½ years and rose through the ranks to acting principal in January 2020. However, she copped snide remarks for years about being Arab and a woman, and thus unworthy of her position or promotions, according to documents filed in the Federal Court.

The alleged taunts are outlined in an 80-page statement of claim in which the school, as well as principal Imam Ali, who retired at the end of last term after two stints as principal from 2014, board chairman Shujuallah Kirmani and vice-chairman Aijaz Khan are listed as respondents.

Ms Mohamed is claiming damages, saying she felt “embarrassed, shamed, insulted, hurt and humiliated” by comments about her sex and Egyptian race, and suffered losses from medical expenses for the hurt and distress.

The Australian, which understands there is a strong Pakistani influence at the school, tried to contact the school and the respondents but was unsuccessful. However, treasurer of the board Muhammad Idrees, who is familiar with the matters, said the allegations of discriminatory comments were false.

The problems started in 2014, about 10 months after Ms Mohamed lodged a worker’s compensation claim for a workplace injury, when the men all allegedly said words to the effect of “You are just another Arab on compo like the rest of them. We are going to get rid of you from the school.”

They also made general racist statements. Dr Ali allegedly said “Arabs” were “slow learners” and “looking to cheat the system”.

Dr Kirmani and Mr Aijaz made comments at board meetings and Friday lunch meetings about Arab families and students “rorting the system”, which Ms Mohamed claims was pertinent as they were responsible for “approving or declining requests in respect of school fee discounts”.

In the years that followed, Dr Ali allegedly told Ms Mohamed from “time to time” she wouldn’t get the deputy principal role because it was a “man’s job”. He also allegedly said about the applicant’s 2018 miscarriage: “This is what work stress does to you, you cannot work and have children at the same time.”

When Ms Mohamed was physically assaulted on campus by an unnamed person in 2019, which was the subject of a police complaint, Mr Aijaz allegedly said “What did you do to make him angry? … You must have said the wrong thing.”

Longtime former principal of the Australian Islamic College of Sydney in Mount Druitt, Dr Imam Ali. Picture: Twitter

When she was promoted to acting principal in January 2020, replacing a retiring Dr Ali, she asked Mr Aijaz about remuneration. He allegedly replied with something like “You should consider yourself lucky that you have been asked to take on the role considering you are an Arab”.

While she was acting principal, the insults allegedly continued, including being told she was “a stupid woman who should never question a man” by Mr Aijaz when inquiring about a late student payment.

When she returned to work after suffering an ovarian torsion in April 2020, Dr Kirmani and Mr Aijaz said “Well, this is why we normally only have men in these positions”, she claims. It was a similar sentiment when she took her fourth parental leave in February 2021, she said. In August 2021 she was dismissed over allegations of “serious misconduct”, which she denied.