A New York City firefighter who served in the U.S. Navy has sued the FDNY with claims of harassment and discrimination for being a black Muslim.
The Staten Island Advance reports that firefighter Raheem Hassan, 30, who was arrested in December for alleged threats against his coworkers, claims in the lawsuit that he was called the n-word and was asked to apologize for the Sept. 11 terror attacks during his time with Engine 209/Ladder 159 in Brooklyn.
"Fellow firefighters would tell him that 'black firefighters are lazy and no one wants to work with them,' and anytime that plaintiff was around other firefighters of color, other white firefighters would call it a 'Vulcan meeting' (referring to the Vulcan club, a professional organization for firefighters of color)," the filing said.
Hassan says his Muslim faith was ridiculed to the point where he had to take his meals alone because colleagues refused to accommodate his no-pork diet.
"Several of his coworkers at the Firehouse would deliberately ensure that Hassan consumed pork products by lying to him about the contents of the communal food so that he would consume pork products and thus violate his religious beliefs," the complaint said.
The suit alleges that when Hassan complained to his superior, he was retaliated against by being arrested on false charges and then removed from the firehouse.
Hassan is suing the department along with several high-ranking members, seeking punitive damages as well as compensation for emotional distress, lost wages and medical expenses.
