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ADC Advisory Board Members Quit After Sexual Harassment Probe Dropped
Two more members of the advisory board of the Michigan chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) have resigned, blasting how the civil rights organization has handled the sexual harassment allegations against one of the group’s leaders.
After serving the Arab-American organization for years, ADC’s co-chair Ali Hammoud and board member Siham Jaafar of Dearborn Heights told the Free Press they have resigned, saying the group hasn’t been transparent with the case of Imad Hamad, who used to be the ADC’s senior national adviser and director of its Michigan office.
On Friday, ADC leaders said Hamad will remain with ADC as an adviser after an internal investigation looked into allegations he repeatedly sexually harassed at least 15 women in his office. The group said there was “insufficient evidence” to prove he harassed the women. It’s the second internal probe the group has conducted into sexual harassment allegations against Hamad; a previous one in 2007 also allowed Hamad to stay on.
Meanwhile, Hamad has stepped down as co-chair of BRIDGES (Building Respect in Diverse Groups to Enhance Sensitivity), the group he helped establish after the Sept. 11 attacks to promote partnership among federal agencies and Arab-Americans and Muslims. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Barbara McQuade told the Free Press Monday that other community members of BRIDGES will work on selecting a new co-chair.
Hamad’s attorney, Shereef Akeel, on Monday said: “There are no winners here. There has been damage to many people, including Imad’s reputation…his family.”
Jaafar worked with the ADC for 12 years, saying she was passionate about its mission until its handling of the allegations against Hamad..
“I can’t represent something I don’t feel holds up integrity. …I don’t feel the best interests of the organization has been served by this process, by the lack of accountability, by the lack of transparency…the process was skewed.”
Hammoud, a Dearborn attorney, said that “recent developments have left me no choice but to resign.”
In June, another ADC Michigan advisory board member, Michael Bsharah, resigned after no immediate action was taken against Hamad.
Warren David, a Northville native who is national president of the ADC, said Monday he’s not involved with the case and referred all questions to the national board of ADC. The chair and vice-chair of ADC’s national board, Dr. Safa Rifka and Nabil Mohamad, did not return calls seeking comment.
State Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), who has said she was harassed by Hamad in the past, said Monday that “ADC’s whitewash…is dishonest and betrays logic.”
Niraj Warikoo
Detroit Free Press