Hackensack Meridian sued after pro-Palestinian imam fired

NJ nurse alleges in lawsuit he was fired for pro-Palestinian speech

NorthJersey.com

May 29, 2025, 4:16 a.m. ET

Key Points

A North Jersey imam has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Hackensack Meridian Health alleging he was wrongfully terminated from his job as a nurse due to pro-Palestinian speech.

Khalil Adem alleges that he faced discrimination, retaliation and defamation in violation of the Civil Rights Act and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination.

Hackensack Meridian said it could not comment on the matter because it is pending litigation.

A North Jersey imam has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Hackensack Meridian Health alleging he was wrongfully terminated from his job as a nurse due to pro-Palestinian speech.

Khalil Adem alleges that he faced discrimination, retaliation and defamation in violation of the Civil Rights Act and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. The complaint was filed May 27 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Hackensack Meridian hired Adem in 2013 — the lawsuit does not say at which location — as a registered nurse and later promoted him to assistant nurse manager. In a decade of employment, he had no complaints and received positive performance reviews, the lawsuit says. That changed in August 2024 when Adem, a part-time imam at the Islamic Society of North Jersey in Flanders, delivered a sermon that sparked complaints from pro-Israel and anti-Muslim groups.

In the sermon, Adem stated that “YouTube influencers are starting to expose Israel for what it is and asking why it is controlling America," according to clips shared online.

He added that “we’re not hating anybody for their religion” and “we can narrow it down to Zionism, anybody with this sort of mentality when they are causing brothers to turn against each other, causing havoc, killing, murdering and then justifying, saying they are not like us, they are the opposition.”

The Quran teaches, he added, that they will be "destroyed at the end" and that "their time will come, and the Muslims will be the one to do it.”

The sermon was a reflection on the strife in Palestinian territories and religious teaching and that “bad acts always come to an end,” said his attorney Omar Mohammedi, speaking on the imam’s behalf. Adem was being punished for exercising his First Amendment rights outside the workplace, he said.

Hackensack Meridian put Adem on administrative leave on Sept. 12, 2024, pending an investigation. He was fired six days later for allegedly violating the health care company’s policies on discrimination, harassment and social media conduct.

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In a statement, Hackensack Meridian said it could not comment on the matter because it is pending litigation. "Hackensack Meridian Health values its patients and team members," said spokesperson Jessica Cohen Nussman. "Providing a safe, inclusive and respectful environment for all our patients and staff is our number one priority."

Pro-Israel and anti-Muslim groups that shared clips of the sermon online alleged that he had promoted hate speech and violence. They called for him to be fired. The Mount Olive Police Department also visited Adem in response to a complaint about the sermon, but did not launch any investigation or criminal action after it reviewed the matter.

Clips of the sermon were shared by the Middle East Media Research Institute, a group that monitors public speech and press, and Jihad Watch, a right-wing website run by Robert Spencer, whom the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center have accused of promoting anti-Muslim conspiracies.

The lawsuit was also filed against Hackensack Meridian Health administrators Linda McHugh, executive vice president and chief experience and people officer; Marwah Durum, regional human resource manager; and Carmen Cappello, director of human resources.

Adem also said he faced disparate treatment, in violation of state and federal law, because employees who expressed pro-Israel views were not similarly questioned, disciplined or dismissed. He also accused his employer of defaming him and creating a hostile work environment. He is seeking declaratory relief, back pay and damages.

“I was wronged," Adem said in a statement. "I was terminated, subjected to a hostile environment, and retaliated against. I was defamed, and a false criminal complaint was filed against me. I am a Muslim and a religious leader ... It is deeply painful to see that when I speak out for justice, I am punished — while others, expressing contrary views, are encouraged, or left alone.”