16-Year-Old Muslim Student Sues US School Over Teacher’s ‘Terrorist’ Remark

A 16-year-old Muslim student in California, United States, has filed a lawsuit against his school district, accusing school officials of discrimination and failing to protect him after a teacher allegedly referred to him as a terrorist.

The Palestinian-American teenager, identified as Yousef Abdullah, reportedly approached his English teacher in February 2025 after his application to join the Advanced Placement (AP) English programme was rejected.

According to reports, the teacher responded by allegedly telling him, “I don’t negotiate with terrorists, that is people under the age of 18.”

At the time, Abdullah was 14 years old and a freshman at Cypress High School.

The lawsuit further alleges that a school counsellor repeated the derogatory remark several times, while an assistant principal reportedly dismissed the incident as a joke.

Abdullah is now suing the Anaheim Union High School District, accusing it of discrimination and failing to take appropriate action against the alleged misconduct.

According to a report by The New York Post, the school district’s internal investigation found evidence that a derogatory comment had been made, describing it as a violation of its policy prohibiting abusive language towards students.

A March 2025 letter from the district’s Human Resources Director, Amie Maya, reportedly confirmed the finding. However, the district said the matter would be handled through its confidential personnel process.

The teenager’s lawyer, Samer Habbas, said the school failed to take the matter seriously, claiming that no meaningful disciplinary action followed the investigation.

The lawsuit also alleges that school employees disclosed Abdullah’s Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis to other students, leading to further ridicule and bullying.

According to the complaint, some classmates mocked him with the term “SpEd”, a derogatory reference to special education.

The alleged experiences reportedly left Abdullah ashamed of his Palestinian and Muslim identity. He also began avoiding growing facial hair and being seen in public with his parents.

He has since transferred to another high school in Orange County.

His lawyer condemned the alleged treatment, describing the labelling of a Palestinian child of Muslim descent as a terrorist as inappropriate and dehumanising.

The case is before Orange County Superior Court Judge Kimberly A. Knill, who reportedly rejected the school district’s attempt to have the lawsuit dismissed.