Professor sacked for displaying blasphemous drawing in class

Submitted by Sophie (Canada), Feb 8, 2006 at 05:56

Professor sacked for displaying blasphemous drawings in class
By Mohsen Rashid 8 February 2006

DUBAI — Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Education and President of Zayed University, ordered yesterday the termination of services of a university English language professor.
The reason for the termination of Prof Claudia Keyboars was that she displayed the blasphemous cartoons before female students during a class lecture.

The professor claimed that revealing such issues comes within the framework of ‘freedom of opinion and expression'.

Shaikh Nahyan emphasised that there is freedom of opinion and expression in the UAE, as well as academic freedom enjoyed by all educational institutions, but what happened in Zayed University does not relate, in any sense, to any relevant concept of freedom.

He pointed out that what had happened was an individual act and that Zayed University and all other educational and academic institutions were functioning within the framework of total compliance with Islam.

"We can never accept any offences against Islam, or any of its teachings and noble values," he said.

He stressed that all educational institutions in the UAE are proud of their Arab and Islamic values.

This article is from Khaleej Times

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