The national headquarters and Texas chapter (CAIR-Texas) of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today announced the filing of a lawsuit in federal court in Fort Worth on behalf of Shayma Alzubi, whom the Fort Worth Independent School District illegally removed from her principal position in May following an “anti-Muslim witch hunt.”
District officials removed her from that position on the basis of years-old social media posts that expressed her Palestinian heritage and religious beliefs.
The lawsuit seeks a court order returning Ms. Alzubi to her role as a principal in the school district.
“This is the clearest violation of the First Amendment our organization has seen all year,” said CAIR attorney Gadeir Abbas. “We call on the school district to realize the unlawful path it’s walking down, change course, and return our client to her school.”
“If district officials can do this to Shayma, then they can do this to anyone,” said CAIR-DFW Executive Director Mustafaa Carroll. “We stand ready to defend Shayma’s rights and fight for her return to school.”
BACKGROUNDER:
SEE: CAIR-DFW, Faith Power Alliance, MAS-Dallas, Interfaith Partners and Educators to Call for Reinstatement of Shayma Alzubi as Principal of Fort Worth ISD School
CAIR-DFW, Faith Power Alliance, MAS-Dallas to Hold Protest for Shayma Alzubi at Fort Worth ISD Meeting
Last month, the school district announced online Ms. Alzubi’s hiring as a principal in the school district, after she had worked as a district teacher and administrator for more than a decade. Within days, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian people online dug up Ms. Alzubi’s old social media posts, including a picture of her standing next to her successful entry in a restaurant’s coloring contest.
District officials gave in to the hysteria’s demands almost immediately and removed Ms. Alzubi from her role as principal. Officials did so, even though teachers and staff have made the same kinds of expressions online.
The lawsuit pursues claims under the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Washington, D.C., based CAIR noted that its latest civil rights report documented 8,683 anti-Muslim bias complaints in 2025 – the highest number ever recorded by the organization since it began publishing civil rights reports in 1996.
CAIR encourages community members facing bias or hate incidents to report them to law enforcement and to CAIR.
Report an incident to CAIR: https://www.cair.com/report/
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: Gadeir Abbas, Senior Litigation Attorney, CAIR LDF, gabbas@cair.com; CAIR-Austin Operations Manager, Shaimaa Zayan, szayan@cair.com, 512-785-7105; CAIR-DFW Executive Director, Mustafaa Carroll, mcarroll@cair.com, 832-549-1042; CAIR-Houston Director, Imran Ghani, ighani@cair.com, 713-922-5270; CAIR Texas Civic Engagement Organizer, Sameeha Rizvi, srizvi@cair.com, 512-893-1371; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com