A glamor model turned DEI manager who was fired because she posed in front of an Israeli flag adorned with swastikas is now suing the University of Minnesota for $75,000 in damages.
Mashal Sherzad, 29, alleges her First Amendment rights were violated and is demanding her job reinstated and more than $75,000 in damages.
Sherzad was fired from her position as the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion manager in January after she accidentally uploaded photos of herself posing in front of the controversial flag.
During a news conference on Friday, Sherzad insisted that the swastika-adorned flag belonged to someone else.
“I can’t be responsible for someone else’s intellectual property,” he said, fighting back tears as he explained how the firing had affected him.
Mashal Sherzad, 29, a glamor model turned DEI manager who was fired because she posed in front of an Israeli flag adorned with swastikas, is now suing the University of Minnesota for $75,000 in damages.
Sherzad, 29, alleged that his First Amendment rights were “violated,” demanding his job reinstated and more than $75,000 in damages.
Sherzad was fired from her position as the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion manager in January after she accidentally uploaded her photo posing in front of the controversial flag.
The activist showed up at the press conference in a tight, daring slit dress to plead her case and plead for her job back.
“I’m really scared for myself for a lot of reasons,” Sherzad told reporters inside the Coffman Memorial Union. ‘What happened to me was wrong, from a legal, factual and emotional point of view. “It was horrible for me, my family and my loved ones.”
Sherzad’s lawsuit against the university said she “posted the photographs to her private Instagram account, but unbeknownst to her, they were automatically reposted to her Facebook account.”
Photos showing her at a December protest in Barcelona, Spain, have since been removed from her Facebook.
Sherzad, who identified as Muslim and is in a relationship with a woman, began her role in October 2023 and traveled to Barcelona to attend the pro-Palestinian demonstration just two months later.
She shared photos of herself from the rally, including snaps of her posing in front of the misappropriated Israeli flag with the swastika.
She was removed from her position as DEI manager for the university’s School of Public Health on Jan. 16 after the dean, Melinda Pettigrew, said her employment would create a “real risk of significant disruption.”
‘I did not do anything wrong. They discarded a proud queer, Muslim, Afghan and SWANA woman,’ she said.
The 29-year-old model uses Instagram to share pro-Palestinian content with her 4,000 followers. Her biography section suggests that she worked for the famous Ford modeling agency, and Sherzad has shared dozens of photos of her striking beauty.
She appears to have been inspired by Kim Kardashian, with a snap showing a collage of her face next to that of the reality star, who has long denied rumors that her appearance is the result of extensive cosmetic surgeries.
Sherzad has posted videos of her singing at rallies in support of Palestine, photographs comparing Nazi-occupied Poland to Israeli-occupied Palestine, and many infographics and photographs of pro-Palestine protests.
She also shared a variety of glamorous selfies, bikini photos, couples content with her girlfriend Ralena Young, a restaurateur, and glamorous photos from her endless travels.
The activist showed up at Friday’s press conference in a tight-fitting dress with daring slits to make her case and plead for her job back, explaining that the vandalized flag she was posing in front of was “someone else’s intellectual property.” .
During Friday’s press conference, Sherzad’s supporters claimed that people who support Palestinians and denounce violence against them are being unfairly targeted.
The 29-year-old model uses Instagram to share pro-Palestinian content with her 4,000 followers. Her biography section suggests that she worked for the famous Ford modeling agency, and Sherzad has shared dozens of photos of her striking beauty.
Sherzad also shared a variety of glamorous selfies, bikini photos, couples content with his girlfriend Ralena Young, a restaurateur, and glamorous photos from his endless travels.
“The title of said publication was: “This is not a conflict. This is not a war. This is genocide,” Sherzad explained.
A university spokesman, Jake Ricker, says the school typically does not comment on active lawsuits, according to star tribune.
However, in a January letter, School of Public Health Dean Melinda Pettigrew told Sherzad that she respects employees’ rights “to comment on matters of public interest” but that “his conduct directly undermines his credibility.” in this position.”
“I believe that continuing his employment would create a real risk of significant disruption to school and university activities,” Pettigrew wrote.
“This is particularly true given the current climate surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, within the university community and around the world, and the highly inflammatory nature of the image you posted.”
During Friday’s press conference, Sherzad’s supporters claimed that people who support Palestinians and denounce violence against them are being unfairly targeted.
The executive director of the Minnesota Council on American-Islamic Relations, Jaylani Hussein, has said: ‘The facts of this case are completely unbelievable. “It is a dark day for freedom of expression.”
Sherzad vehemently denies any wrongdoing on his part and created a GoFundMe to ask for ‘financial resources’ in the midst of the legal battle after his ‘unjustified dismissal’, according to the page.
Sherzad has posted videos of her singing at rallies in support of Palestine, photographs comparing Nazi-occupied Poland to Israeli-occupied Palestine, and many pro-Palestine protest infographics and photographs.
Sherzad is pictured with his girlfriend Ralena Young, a restaurant and bar owner in Minnesota.
‘My name is Mashal. “I was photographed at this pro-Palestinian demonstration, a peaceful protest, where many people from all backgrounds and walks of life gathered to express solidarity around the demand for peace and liberation of Palestine,” he wrote.
‘This event occurred in Barcelona, outside working hours and on a weekend. December 9, to be exact,” he wrote on GoFundMe, which has raised $1,300 in donations.
“I was photographed in front of a Jewish man we had been chatting with who was holding an Israeli flag, with two swastikas drawn on either side of the Star of David.
‘It wasn’t my property. “It was not the way I would have expressed my feelings of concern and anger about what happened to Palestine and its people,” he further explained.
DailyMail.com has contacted Mashal Sherzad for comment.