A model turned DEI manager who was fired because she posed in front of an Israeli flag adorned with swastikas is now suing because her First Amendment rights were “violated.”
Mashal Sherzad, 29, was fired from her position as diversity, equity and inclusion manager at the University of Minnesota over now-apparently deleted photos she accidentally posted to her public social media of her posing in front of the controversial flag.
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 a 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.”
Sherzad has since filed a lawsuit against the school for violating his First Amendment right to free speech, along with claims of discrimination.
‘I did not do anything wrong. ‘They discarded a proud queer, Muslim, Afghan and SWANA woman,’ she said
Mashal Sherzad, a model turned DEI manager who was fired because she posed in front of an Israeli flag adorned with swastikas, is now suing because her First Amendment rights were “violated.”
Mashal Sherzad, 29, was fired from her position as diversity, equity and inclusion manager at the University of Minnesota over now-apparently deleted photos she accidentally posted to her public social media of her posing in front of Israel’s controversial flag. swastikas
Sherzad has since filed a lawsuit against the school for violating his First Amendment right to free speech, along with claims of discrimination.
Sherzad is pictured with his girlfriend Ralena Young, a restaurant and bar owner in Minnesota.
‘I did not do anything wrong. They discarded a proud queer, Muslim, Afghan and SWANA woman,’ she said.
He has asked to have his job reinstated and is seeking more than $75,000 in damages.
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 shares a variety of glamorous selfies, bikini photos, couples content with her girlfriend Ralena Young, a restaurateur, and glamor shots from her endless travels.
The activist showed up at a press conference on Friday in a tight-fitting dress with risqué cutouts 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.” .
At the news conference, Sherzad choked back tears as he explained how the firing had affected him.
“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.”
She also uses her social media to share a plethora of selfies, bikini pics, and glamor shots from her endless travels.
During Friday’s press conference, Sherzad’s supporters claimed that people who support Palestinians and denounce violence against them are being unfairly targeted.
‘The caption on 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” amid the legal battle following his “wrongful termination,” according to the page.
The activist showed up at a press conference Friday wearing a skin-tight dress with daring slits to make her case and plead for her job back, explaining that the vandalized flag she posed in front of was “someone else’s intellectual property.” .
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.
‘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. 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 was not my property. It was not the way I would have expressed my thoughts. feelings of concern and anger about what happened to Palestine and its people,” he further explained.
DailyMail.com has contacted Mashal Sherzad for comment.
