Former Security Agency Employee Sues Claiming Discrimination Because of Wife's Religious Activities

AP reported yesterday that an employment discrimination lawsuit has been filed in a Virginia federal district court against the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency by a former employee who alleges that his security clearance was revoked solely because of his wife's Muslim religion, her constitutionally protected speech and her association with a faith-based Islamic organization. Plaintiff Mahmoud Hegab, who worked as a budget analyst, says his top-secret clearance was revoked in November after he got married because officials were concerned about his wife's schooling at the Islamic Saudi Academy in Virginia, her employment with the Islamic charity Relief USA, and her participation in a 2003 anti-war rally sponsored by a group that has worked together at times with Palestinian activists.