Doctor fired from Phoenix Children's Hospital after anti-Israel posts files discrimination complaint
BrieAnna J. Frank
Arizona Republic
A doctor fired from Phoenix Children's Hospital for social media posts in which she condemned Israel and accused Zionists of having a "thirst to kill our Palestinian children" has filed a job discrimination complaint with the Arizona Attorney General's Office, according to documents obtained by The Arizona Republic.
In late June, screenshots circulated online of Dr. Fidaa Wishah's Facebook post in which she said Palestinians would "expose the #massacre and #genocide you #zionists are proud of."
"A state based on atrocity, inhumanity, racism and cannibalism never lasts long," Wishah continued. "Hey #israel ... your end is coming sooner than you think."
Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism.org, issued a statement to The Republic on Wednesday congratulating the hospital for "taking a brave step in fighting antisemitism and making sure their patients are protected from hatred and bigotry."
StopAntisemitism.org tweeted about Wishah's posts on June 21, prompting a response from Phoenix Children's Hospital on June 23 that said children in its care "receive hope, healing and the best possible health care, regardless of race, color, disability, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or national origin."
"After a thorough review of the facts related to this matter, this individual is no longer providing care at Phoenix Children's," the hospital said.
Rez said medical providers are obligated to provide care "free of prejudice" and added that her organization calls on all companies to "take a similar strong stance against antisemitism."
"When scrolling through Fidaa Wishah's social media posts her disdain for the Jewish people and their homeland, Israel, becomes clear and undeniable," Rez wrote.
In a written statement to The Republic, Wishah said her posts stemmed from her experiences as a Palestinian woman who grew up in a refugee camp in Gaza. She said she "witnessed the death, destruction and suffering of so many members of my community" before leaving Gaza when she was 17, determined to make a difference in the world by becoming a doctor.
Wishah said despite her experiences and positions on the conflict, she has "never discriminated against a Jewish person in my personal or professional life." She added that a "plain and honest reading" of her posts make it "abundantly clear" that her criticism is directed toward the State of Israel and not Jewish people.
"I am an activist," she wrote. "I do not just pay lip service to social justice issues. It is part of my being."
Phoenix Children's Hospital did not respond to The Republic's repeated requests for comment.
Wishah says she was 'singled out' for social media posts
The complaint, provided to The Republic by the Council on American-Islamic Relations Arizona chapter, indicates it was filed with the Arizona Attorney General's Office's Civil Rights Division in late July. It alleges that Wishah was subjected to "discrimination, retaliation, disparate treatment and unlawful termination" based on her sex, race, color, religion and national origin.
Attorney General's Office spokesperson Katie Conner told The Republic that complaints filed with the Civil Rights Division are confidential pursuant to Arizona law and that the office therefore "cannot confirm or deny if a complaint was filed or if there is or was any investigation."
Wishah wrote in the complaint that she was "singled out" for her social media posts regarding the "atrocities committed by the State of Israel against Palestinian people."
She went on to say that in the time since she began working at the hospital two years prior, she and other co-workers were encouraged to attend a solidarity gathering during work hours in support of Black Lives Matter and in opposition to systemic racism.
On June 21, Wishah said her supervisor informed her about complaints the hospital received because of her social media posts from the month prior. She said her supervisor, who was not named in the complaint, told her that he "supported my cause and ... knew I was not anti-Semitic."
During a human resources meeting later in the day, Wishah said she was shown the complaints and told that the hospital's social media policy was "vague and that I had not violated any policies" but that they would be reviewing the situation because of the volume of complaints.
Wishah was suspended with pay on June 22 and terminated the next day "under the pretext that I lacked professional judgement, inconsistent with the Hospital's mission and allegedly diverted resources away from the hospital's patients," she wrote in the complaint.
She went on to allege that the hospital acted on "racially and religiously-motivated criticism" in firing her but that it hadn't fired other employees who commented publicly about "civil and human rights abuses."
Azza Abuseif, executive director of CAIR's Arizona chapter, issued a statement to The Republic on Aug. 20 in which she claimed that the hospital "jumped at the opportunity to destroy the livelihood of a Palestinian woman."
Abuseif said there was a "willful misrepresentation" of Wishah's statements and that the hospital's response was "bigoted" and retaliatory. She called the complaint the "first step in remedying this injustice."
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