Linda Sarsour, a leading Muslim activist in the U.S., has been a >target of trolls in recent months ... and the hate against the 37-year-old went to another level on Sunday.
On December 17, right-wing site Daily Caller published a piece titled 'Linda Sarsour Accused Of Enabling Sexual Assault Against Woman Who Worked For Her', accusing Sarsour of ignoring a sexual harassment claim brought to her attention by an employee at the non-profit organization she was working for at the time.
The Daily Caller told the story of Asmi Fathelbab, a former employee at the Arab American Association who claims she had informed Sarsour, the executive director of the organization at the time, of "groping and unwanted touching" by a volunteer at the office.
Instead of confronting the volunteer, Sarsour brushed off the report and ">attacked the woman bringing the allegations, often threatening and body-shaming her", according to Fathelbab.
BuzzFeed News talked with Sarsour following the allegations, unfolding the chain of events in a completely different manner.
Sarsour provided the site with "witness statements and email correspondence that offer a markedly different version of what happened after then-staff member Asmi Fathelbab accused an office volunteer of harassing her in 2009," according to BuzzFeed.
However, Fethelbab shared a completely different version of the story, which took place in 2009.
She reported the sexual assault and her claims were dismissed on the spot.
"She called me a liar because 'something like this didn’t happen to women who looked like me,'" Fethelbab said.
"How dare I interrupt her TV news interview in the other room with my 'lies.'
She oversaw an environment unsafe and abusive to women," Fethelbab >claimed.
"Women who put [Sarsour] on a pedestal for women’s rights and empowerment deserve to know how she really treats us."
Initially, Sarsour wanted to ignore the published piece. However, after Donald Trump Jr. shared it on Twitter, it began getting heavy traction and Sarsour was concerned for "the personal safety of her and her family," according to BuzzFeed.
Donald Trump Jr. shared the story ... ultimately causing an uproar on social media
"Anti-Semitic, terrorist sympathizer, supporter of female genital mutilation — every week they come up with some new stuff about me," Sarsour told BuzzFeed.
"But when the president’s son is tweeting about me, that’s serious stuff."
In January, Sarsour led the >Women's March on Washington which was dubbed the largest demonstration against the new administration in American history.
The march not only tackled issues with regards to women's rights but the rights of every minority group in the United States who had ever felt threatened by Trump's presidential campaign.
That includes women’s reproductive rights, immigrant rights, equal rights for African Americans, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA communities.
Sarsour is well-known for her opposition to the Islamophobic agenda of President Donald Trump.
Sarsour has also vocally and actively thrown her support behind other communities that feel threatened by Trump's policies.
In the wake of a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida, which was claimed by the so-called Islamic State, Sarsour voiced her support for the LGBT community in a tweet which read:
"Heart is broken to pieces. Sending love to the LGBTQ communities."
Read the full BuzzFeed News report here.