Linda Sarsour Denies Claims She Ignored Sex Abuse Allegations By Employee

Responding to the accusations that she covered up a sexual abuse incident involving an employee working at her Brooklyn office, Palestinian rights activist and Women’s March co-founder Linda Sarsour denied the claims, calling it “character assassination.”

“This is character assassination,” she said adding, “This is where we have to draw the line. I have two daughters. This is not the type of behavior I engage in.”

Sarsour was accused of enabling sexual abuse and harassment of an employee working in her Brooklyn office.

In a detailed interview with the Daily Caller, the alleged victim, Asmi Fathelbab said: “She oversaw an environment unsafe and abusive to women. Women who put [Sarsour] on a pedestal for women’s rights and empowerment deserve to know how she really treats us.”

Fathelbab, 37, worked at the Arab American Association of New York as a contractor. At the time, Sarsour was the executive director of the organization. According to documents, Fathelbab worked with the organization for almost a year during which she was sexually abused.

In her claims, Fathelbab said the Arab American Association was an unsafe place for women where the female employees were often body shamed and intimidated.

In her case, she said a man named Majed Seif, who lived in the same building where the Arab American Association office was located, allegedly began stalking her.

“He would sneak up on me during times when no one was around, he would touch me, and you could hear me scream at the top of my lungs. He would pin me against the wall and rub his crotch on me,” she told the Daily Caller.

“It was disgusting. I ran the youth program in the building and with that comes bending down and talking to small children. You have no idea what it was like to stand up and feel that behind you. I couldn’t scream because I didn’t want to scare the child in front of me. It left me shaking,” she added.

However, when Fathelbab reported sexual abuse to Sarsour, the rights activist dismissed her claims calling her a “liar.” Sarsour even allegedly told Fathelbab something like this cannot happen to women like her.

Sarsour even threatened Fathelbab saying she could take a legal action against her and even damage her professional career.

“She told me he had the right to sue me for false claims,” adding that the assaulter allegedly “had the right to be anywhere in the building he wanted,” Fathelbab recalled.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Sarsour provided BuzzFeed News with some witness statements and emails, giving her side of the story of what actually happened with Fathelbab and how she dealt with the situation.

Terming Fathelbab’s accusations as false, Sarsour said: “The exact words were, ‘He makes me feel uncomfortable.’”

“There was nothing about touching or groping. There’s no evidence, no email, she can pull out where she ever gave those claims to us,” she added.