Awad’s Alleged Sexual Harassment

In Federal Court documents, we learn that Nihad Awad himself is alleged to have engaged in sexual harassment against a former CAIR staffer. This information came to light when Awad sued the staffer for defamation after the staffer blew the whistle on corruption and abuse inside the organization.

“The final straw came  in May 2018 when CAIR’s Executive Director Mr Awad, who is married with children engaged in the most recent instance in a patter of unwelcome and highly inappropriate conduct towards Ms Saroya, which she deflected and did not accept. Days later he continued this conduct following her around the site of a con fence, insisting on sitting next to her ever time she moved to a different seat, and pursuing her at the conference.

“.. It was at that retreat that that Mr AWAD’S unwelcome, inappropriate and offensive behavior toward Ms Saroya reached the point where she decided that she would in fact resign.

“In May, 2018, while out of town on a work trip, Mr. Awad asked Ms. Saroya to meet him in the hotel lobby at midnight. When she complied, he said to her with a smile “Do you know that [other CAIR employees] think there is something going on between us?” (CASE 0:21-cv-01267-SRN-TNL Doc. 5)

Although these allegations are extremely serious for any normal individual, let alone for a Muslim civic leader who is the face of American Muslims. Awad decided to withdraw the case when he was faced with the possibility of getting deposed in the trial which could have potentially shed a lot more light on his own troubling alleged sexual harassment.