Bravest bias suit

Muslim: Punished for exposing abuse

A BLACK Muslim firefighter who endured racial taunts of “n---er” and pork hidden in his food by fellow smoke-eaters claims he was punished for speaking out about department racism — a problem still rampant in the FDNY, according to a civil rights lawsuit filed in Brooklyn Federal Court on Tuesday.

Navy veteran and firefighter Raheem Hassan faced about 12 years of harassment from his colleagues at Engine 309/Ladder 159 in Flatlands, he claims in court papers.

He says he was asked to apologize for 9/11 and accused of being inherently lazy because of his race.

Hassan (photo) says he skipped group meals at the firehouse because his co-workers tried to slip pork or pork byproducts into his food so he would violate Muslim dietary restrictions.

“When Mr. Hassan complained of the unlawful conduct, he was ridiculed, retaliated against and supervisors refused to address the hostile work environment that pervaded his firehouse and others,” his lawyer, Aymen Aboushi, said in the suit. When Hassan brought his complaints to his supervisors, he says they filed phony charges against him in December, claiming he threatened to “kill the guys in the firehouse,” the Daily News previously reported.

After Hassan’s harassment came to light through a Daily News article, bosses and firefighters were transferred out of the firehouse.

“The department immediately and aggressively took action when complaints of inappropriate conduct were alleged to have occurred at the firehouse, and there is an ongoing investigation of those complaints,” FDNY spokesman Frank Dwyer said.