Elham Asaad Buaras
Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is facing a federal lawsuit in Texas over allegations of religious discrimination against a Muslim employee who expressed support for Palestinians. Filed last month in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, the lawsuit claims Meta violated federal and state labour laws by disciplining and ultimately terminating Mohammed Feras Majeed for religious expressions related to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Majeed, a senior financial operations analyst at Meta’s Austin office since 2018, says the company reprimanded him for wearing a keffiyeh during virtual meetings and for sharing prayers and messages of solidarity with Gaza. He describes these actions as central to his Islamic faith. According to court documents, Meta’s internal teams flagged his posts and warned that they violated “community engagement expectations.” Majeed maintains that his conduct was in line with Islamic principles of ummah, which stress unity and mutual support among Muslims facing hardship.
Represented by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Majeed’s complaint accuses Meta of breaching Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as Texas state labour laws. The lawsuit also points out that while Majeed faced disciplinary measures, non-Muslim employees were able to express support for other causes—such as Black Lives Matter, Ukrainian sovereignty, or Israeli victims—without facing similar consequences. Before being laid off in early 2024, Majeed filed complaints internally with Meta’s Diversity Office and externally with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. His lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, policy changes, and sensitivity training for Meta’s leadership.
“Mr Majeed was terminated after raising legitimate religious concerns,” said Nadia Bayado, an attorney with CAIR. “His expressions of faith should not be grounds for discrimination.” Bayado also mentioned that CAIR is aware of at least three other similar complaints from current or former Meta employees.
This lawsuit follows an earlier case filed in California in June 2024 by Ferras Hamad, a Palestinian American engineer who was dismissed in February 2024. Hamad alleges that he was fired after correcting a misclassification error during an internal emergency, which caused pro-Palestinian content—including videos from photojournalist Motaz Azaiza—to be hidden or incorrectly flagged as inappropriate. Hamad insists that his actions were part of his responsibilities and had been approved by his supervisor. Meta has stated that Hamad was terminated for violating data access protocols, a claim he denies, along with any personal connection to the content involved.
Hamad’s complaint also accuses Meta of discriminatory enforcement of its policies. He cites examples where messages expressing grief over Palestinian deaths were deleted, and Palestinian flag emojis scrutinised, while similar expressions involving Israel or Ukraine were allowed.
Meta declined to comment when approached by The Muslim News.
Photo: Entrance sign at Meta’s headquarters complex in Menlo Park, California (Credit: Wikimedia)
