Support Mashal in Wrongful Firing!

My name is Mashal. I was pictured at this pro Palestinian demonstration, a peaceful protest, where many from all backgrounds and walks of life came together to express solidarity around the demand for peace and liberation of Palestine. This event occurred in Barcelona, off work time, and on a weekend. December 9, to be exact.

I was pictured in front of a Jewish man we had been chatting with who was holding a flag of Israel, 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 feelings of concern and anger towards what has happened to Palestine and its People.

Alas, a Zionist woman who had harassed me for weeks sent this photo sans its caption ("this is not a conflict. This is not a war. This is genocide"). She sent it to many people in positions of power at my work, at the University of Minnesota- specifically the School of Public Health. But it went further. I had a candid and honest conversation with my direct leader, and was then surprisingly put on paid leave beginning the very next day to both my own and my leadership's surprise and dismay. I was supposed to celebrate my last year of my twenties that day and it was spent in crippling fear and pain. My livelihood was at stake over free speech- and I was being punished for the expression of speech that was not my own.

An exact month later, January 13, I was terminated. The letter of termination from the dean of the school informed me that he was terminating me for posting my photograph at the protest on social media. The dean claimed my continued employment would "create a real risk of significant disruption to School and University activities. This is particularly true given the current climate around the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, within the University community and around the globe, and the highly inflammatory nature of the image you posted." In other words, I was fired for my small expression of solidarity with Palestine.

I did nothing wrong. They discarded a proud Queer, Muslim, Afghan and SWANA woman.

I am asking for support to not only put food on my table, but to help cover the costs of representation.

I am a proud lover of all human beings.

I am asking for help because I believe I was not only targeted for being who I am- not just my protected and marginalized identities- but because what the University did was wrong. I do have a lawyer who is confident in this fight. We just need the financial resources.

With love - to the world,

Mashal