A nonprofit organization that helps refugees and immigrants in Iowa is being sued for allegedly discriminating against clients who are African, Muslim or disabled.
Alaa Elqatary-Reelitz is suing the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. The committee is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing the needs of refugees and immigrants. It is headquartered in Viriginia, but has an office in Des Moines.
In her lawsuit, Elqatary-Reelitz, an African-Egyptian Muslim, alleges that in September 2023 she began working in the organization’s Des Moines office as a program coordinator. She was later passed over for promotion to the positions of field office director, refugee services manager, child and youth support officer and development associate, she alleges…