STOCKHOLM, April 14: An Arab man in Sweden has been paid 165,000 crowns (16,000 dollars) in compensation after being called “Osama bin Laden” by colleagues, a newspaper reported on Sunday. The man of Iraqi descent was judged by Sweden’s ombudsman to have been harassed by his workmates and managers, who also called him “terrorist” and “damned Arab”, the Svenska Dagbladet reported.

“The damages were rather high but that’s as it should be. It should cost companies where discrimination occurs in the workplace,” said a spokeswoman for the ombudsman.

The ombudsman’s report found the employer had been aware of the harassment but had not taken action to stop it. Neither the victim nor the employer were identified.—Reuters