ATLANTA --- The head of Georgia State University's Middle East Institute has stepped down, claiming the university mishandled a discrimination complaint from a Muslim doctoral student.

Dona Stewart resigned from the institute Tuesday night, citing retaliation from the university for helping student Slma Shelbayah. The university failed to address complaints from Ms. Shelbayah that another faculty member harassed her on several occasions last August about her hijab, or traditional Muslim headscarf, Ms. Stewart said.

According to the complaint, the faculty member asked Ms. Shelbayah if she had a bomb under her hijab, among other comments, several times during receptions and events for the Department of Communications Ph.D. program.

After the student complained to the university, Ms. Stewart said she was told to remove Ms. Shelbayah from her position as a visiting instructor because university policy prevents graduate students from being faculty members. Ms. Stewart said she refused and was met with "hostile comments and retaliatory actions" by her supervisor.

"I refused to participate in retaliation against Slma," Ms. Stewart said in a phone interview Wednesday. "What started as a series of unbelievable comments in public over a period of eight days back in August -- basically calling her a terrorist -- developed into attempts to remove her."

Both Ms. Stewart and Ms. Shelbayah have filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Georgia State spokeswoman Andrea Jones said the student's complaints were handled properly, and the university did not retaliate against either woman. Ms. Jones said the university is cooperating with the EEOC.