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County Not Giving Up After Losing 'Beard-Related' Discrimination Case

ANN ARBOR (WWJ/AP) - Washtenaw County is appealing a nearly $1.2 million verdict in favor of a Muslim man who said he was called a terrorist and repeatedly passed over for promotions.

The verdict was returned in 2014 but it took more than a year to settle post-trial issues in the case of Ali Aboubaker.

Detroit federal Judge Denise Page Hood declined to overturn the result. Washtenaw County now wants her to freeze the case while it appeals the award.

Ali Aboubaker
Ali Aboubaker (credit: Shereef Akeel)

Aboubaker, a native of Tunisia, worked for Washtenaw County for 17 years until 2008. Attorney Shereef Akeel said Aboubaker was demoted and bypassed for promotions despite having engineering skills and college degrees.

The treatment allegedly got worse after 9/11, partially because of Aboubaker's religious mark of manhood, according to Akeel.

"He's Muslim, he has a scruffy beard down to his chest, he looks like he just came from Afghanistan, he's African American because Tunisia is in Africa, I mean this man had every strike against him," he said.

Aboubaker lost everything after he was fired, Akeel said, and was unable to find another job.

"The man lost his house, he was literally homeless, he lost his family and his wife of 26 years. He was destitute," he said. "If you look at him, he definitely would be profiled, he definitely would be picked out of the line at the airport. He fits the stereotype and he has a big strike against him."

Aboubaker decided to file a lawsuit claiming employment and religious discrimination. After six long years, judgment day finally came in Feb. 2014 when a jury awarded him $1.1 million, one of the largest discrimination awards for a Muslim.

The county denies any bias and says Aboubaker wasn't qualified to be drain inspector.

TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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