Boss told cops to ‘keep an eye on’ Muslim worker during prayer, MN suit says
A former employee of a Minnesota transportation agency said religious discrimination and retaliation forced him to leave his job, according to a lawsuit.
The complaint — filed June 3 on behalf of Jihad Hamoud, a practicing Muslim — accuses regional planning agency Met Council of disciplining and humiliating him. It says that came after he reported faith-based discrimination, including one occasion where a supervisor directed police to “keep an eye on” him while he prayed.
A spokesperson for Met Council in Saint Paul told McClatchy News in a June 6 email they do not comment on ongoing litigation.
“With its power and resources, Met Council should be setting the standard for what an inclusive and respectful workplace looks like,” Naomi Martin, Hamoud’s attorney, said in a June 5 news release. “That starts with ensuring discrimination and retaliation have no place in its operations — especially by those in supervisory roles.”
The lawsuit comes as the state of Minnesota continues to see increases in instances of anti-Muslim hate, attorneys said.
Religious discrimination experiences
According to the complaint, Hamoud was hired as a bus operator at the agency in 2010 and then transferred to facilities maintenance in 2019.
He began recording his experiences after attorneys said he watched a Muslim co-worker experience retaliation by his supervisor.
A supervisor made a negative comment directed at Muslim workers, blaming them for making a bathroom dirty during their prayer time, according to the complaint.
When Hamoud told his supervisor Muslims are not allowed to pray in restrooms, he didn’t apologize or correct his assumption, the complaint said.
Hamoud also recorded multiple instances of discrimination with one janitor, according to the complaint.
After reporting his experiences, Hamoud was placed on administrative leave, but the janitor continued working, attorneys said.
Then, his managers told him to avoid the janitor when he got back to work, according to the complaint.
But when Hamoud passed the janitor in a vehicle driven by another worker, his managers accused him of trying to intimidate the janitor, the complaint said.
He was then told in a meeting with managers he would be placed on unpaid leave for five days, attorneys said. When he asked why he was being placed on leave, the managers did not say, according to the complaint.
Hamoud was then escorted out of the office building by police, according to the complaint.
“This caused Hamoud great emotional distress, including feeling fearful, embarrassed, degraded, humiliated, disrespected, vilified, and discriminated against,” attorneys said.
Despite ongoing emails to Met Council leadership after returning to work and continuing to experience religious discrimination, the agency didn’t do anything to address it, according to the complaint.
Hamoud resigned in May 2022 and filed a discrimination charge against the agency with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, according to the complaint.
The commissioner concluded there was probable cause of retaliation and discrimination against Hamoud twice, in November and January, attorneys said.
The complaint asks for monetary compensation for “lost earnings and benefits, emotional distress, embarrassment, humiliation, and other compensatory damages.”
Anti-Muslim discrimination in Minnesota
For the past three years, Minnesota has led the country in reported attacks against mosques, according to a report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
There were 15 recorded incidents targeting mosques in the state in 2024, three times higher than the next highest state for reported attacks, according to the report.
Several acts of vandalism, intimidation and discrimination were also reported in the state, the report said.
This story was originally published June 6, 2025 at 8:59 AM with the headline "Boss told cops to ‘keep an eye on’ Muslim worker during prayer, MN suit says."
