Mayor Daley presented Zarzour with the 2009 Arab Heritage Month Award for Outstanding Contributions to Chicago’s Arab Community and commended him for his exceptional community service.

“I am truly honored to receive this recognition on behalf of a dignified community from a city I am proud to serve,” said Zarzour.

The suit [filed by CAIR-Chicago] alleges Smiley was treated less favorably than similarly situated employees who were not Palestinian or Arab when accused of “false allegations of misconduct.”

“The unsubstantiated allegation against, and subsequent firing of, Sue Smiley reeks of racism,” said Kevin Vodak, an attorney for the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which filed the suit on Smiley’s behalf.

“According to the suit [filed by CAIR-Chicago], a teacher’s assistant and eight other students were present in class at the time and confirmed that Smiley never made the remark or any anti-Semitic statements. Despite no evidence, the college refused to conduct an investigation into the allegations and swiftly fired Smiley, the suit said. No witnesses were contacted or questioned.”

Also see related stories in the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times

“The three-count federal suit (filed by CAIR-Chicago) — which claims one count of national origin discrimination and two counts of race discrimination — seeks all wages and benefits she would have received, in addition to compensatory and punitive damages. It also seeks an order mandating Smiley be returned to her former position or receive pay in lieu of reinstatement.”

The Arab voices included in the December 8th Metro section are a great start to inviting readings to engage with the people who are talked about so much yet rarely heard from (“Arabs-from fascination to hatred to tolerance”).

The article about the Arab-Israeli orchestra is a welcome change to the usual coverage of the Middle East in the media (“Barenboim seeks peace with his baton,” Aug. 23)