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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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 Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2015 9:15 pm Post subject: Western expat fired from Laureate for insults |
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Usually these types of incidents are dealt with quietly, but this one made a loud noise...
Expat professor fired for ‘insulting Islam’
Saudi Gazette | April 16, 2015
Source: http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20150416240563
JEDDAH — A professor at the Laureate College of Excellence was fired for insulting Islam and students using offensive and racial slurs, Al-Madinah newspaper reported.
Students from the college claimed on Monday that the professor, who is from a Western country, called the pilgrimage rituals “stupid” and no one responded when they complained to the administration. One of the students said: “There is no one in the administration that is an Arab or Muslim and whenever we complained they would kick us out or ignore us. We decided to take this to the press because no one listened to us and we do not accept what was said about Islam.”
Al-Madinah reporters tried to contact the head of the college but he refused to meet them without an appointment and when they asked for a time he did not respond. Technical and Vocational Training Corporation official spokesman Fahd Al-Otaibi said the corporation received news of the incident from the press. He said: “The head of the corporation, Ali Al-Ghafees, formed a special committee to look into the incident. The headquarters of the Laureate College of Excellence was informed by the corporation of the incident.” He added the corporation investigated the students’ complaints and found them to be true.
“The corporation terminated the professor’s contract immediately as he violated the Ministry of Labor’s charter that outlines the importance of good conduct and respect toward Islam and violated the Laureate College of Excellence’s policy of religious tolerance,” said Al-Otaibi. He also said the corporation had not received any reports of the incident before the students’ complaint. “The corporation and Laureate College of Excellence would like to clarify that the professor’s actions do not represent the institute and only represents him as an individual. All international institutes in the Kingdom are fully aware of the importance of respecting Islam and the severity of insulting the religion and the Saudi people in any way.”
(End of article) |
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caliph
Joined: 05 Jun 2006
Posts: 218
Location: Iceland
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 1:31 am Post subject: |
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| He was lucky he didn't get lashes like I was threatened with for "insulting a beard". |
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MuscatGary
Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 2:04 am Post subject: |
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| He deserved to be fired. Not that he was wrong but because he was stupid. |
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sicklyman
Joined: 02 Feb 2013
Posts: 930
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 3:25 am Post subject: |
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| MuscatGary wrote: |
| He deserved to be fired. Not that he was wrong but because he was stupid. |
been here so long you've thrown away your freedom of speech Gary? |
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MuscatGary
Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 3:33 am Post subject: |
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| sicklyman wrote: |
| MuscatGary wrote: |
| He deserved to be fired. Not that he was wrong but because he was stupid. |
been here so long you've thrown away your freedom of speech Gary? |
There is no freedom of speech in the ME. If you want to assert your Western rights then you have to be prepared for the consequences. |
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CVN-76
Joined: 28 Mar 2014
Posts: 171
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 6:01 am Post subject: |
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| This teacher, I will say, was a complete idiot. |
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Mysterious
Joined: 24 Sep 2011
Posts: 170
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 12:46 pm Post subject: |
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Good job.
Now I wish the others like him would also get fired. Including some on this forum. Some two faced people that diss and mock the religion and the calls for prayer, yet happily take the money that is offered to them and probably do a rubbish job at work, too. 
And before people get all defensive.. some teachers are like this, not all. And it's a fact.
There are many people in the western countries who are qualified to come here and are Muslims and are desperate to come here, yet, when they are interviewed, by a non Muslim, the jobs can be harder to get. So much better if people like that got the jobs than people who have no respect for the country they live in and are only here for the money. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 1:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Mysterious wrote: |
| There are many people in the western countries who are qualified to come here and are Muslims and are desperate to come here, yet, when they are interviewed, by a non Muslim, the jobs can be harder to get. So much better if people like that got the jobs than people who have no respect for the country they live in and are only here for the money. |
But this isn't about being Muslim or non-Muslim; it's about exhibiting basic cultural awareness and common sense when working or visiting other countries. |
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Mysterious
Joined: 24 Sep 2011
Posts: 170
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 1:32 pm Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| Mysterious wrote: |
| There are many people in the western countries who are qualified to come here and are Muslims and are desperate to come here, yet, when they are interviewed, by a non Muslim, the jobs can be harder to get. So much better if people like that got the jobs than people who have no respect for the country they live in and are only here for the money. |
But this isn't about being Muslim or non-Muslim; it's about exhibiting basic cultural awareness and common sense when working or visiting other countries. |
I know, I hear ya, but people like this are just hard core in their hearts and will never meet cultural awareness of Muslims, because deep down inside they just don't want to be here, but are forced to be here for whatever money issues. I think it's far more logical to give jobs to people who are actually trying their best to get qualified just to be in Saudi. There are surprisingly many people like that in the UK, anyway, where I'm from. I know some non Muslim teachers struggle to be here, and they are patient with their jobs and the culture because they know they have to because they have no choice due to their personal reasons, and I find that respectful, 'cause I know it's not easy. |
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plumpy nut
Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 2:04 pm Post subject: |
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Put a statue of him on this forum page, like Marat in the French National Convention.
| MuscatGary wrote: |
There is no freedom of speech in the ME. If you want to assert your Western rights then you have to be prepared for the consequences. |
There never will be freedom of speech in the ME until they are colonized and the idea of free speech, regardless of what the Koran thinks, is forced down their mouths.
Last edited by plumpy nut on Thu Apr 16, 2015 2:10 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 2:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Mysterious wrote: |
| People like this are just hard core in their hearts and will never meet cultural awareness of Muslims, because deep down inside they just don't want to be here, but are forced to be here for whatever money issues. I think it's far more logical to give jobs to people who are actually trying their best to get qualified just to be in Saudi. |
We've seen posts from newbies who are Muslim and very interested in teaching in KSA despite having zero to very minimal experience and/or credentials. But that's not fair to the students nor to those teachers who are qualified. In essence, you're asserting that these newbies' desperation to be in Saudi Arabia trumps their lack of qualifications, yet they still expect to get paid to "practice" on the students. What's wrong with this picture? How about getting the requisite experience/degree/TEFL qualification first in order to meet the employers' requirements---just like many well-qualified Muslims have done. |
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jaffa
Joined: 25 Oct 2012
Posts: 403
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 3:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Mysterious wrote: |
| I know, I hear ya, but people like this are just hard core in their hearts and will never meet cultural awareness of Muslims, because deep down inside they just don't want to be here, but are forced to be here for whatever money issues. I think it's far more logical to give jobs to people who are actually trying their best to get qualified just to be in Saudi. There are surprisingly many people like that in the UK, anyway, where I'm from. I know some non Muslim teachers struggle to be here, and they are patient with their jobs and the culture because they know they have to because they have no choice due to their personal reasons, and I find that respectful, 'cause I know it's not easy. |
The Saudis look down on all other Muslims. "Rubbish" is a term I've often heard for them. In fact they look down on everyone but the irony is that the white western man gets the most respect and of course that drives the 'other' Muslims crazy. Thinking about it, I've had a far easier ride than those of the faith and I don't believe a word of it. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 4:02 pm Post subject: |
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Of course, none of know what actually happened or was said in that classroom. If he did say it, he was, yes, an idiot... and fully deserved what he got. Their ball game, their field, their money... they get to make the rules. Don't like it? Don't go.
But, there is also the chance that he said nothing of the sort and the student(s) made it up because they didn't like him... or misunderstood what he said. We all know of situations like that coming up too. That is when the importance of choosing the right employer comes into play. I have seen administrations come to the support of the teacher who was unjustly accused. And I have seen the innocent forced to leave.
VS |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 5:15 pm Post subject: |
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But . . . but . . . he was just asserting his "religious freedom" to discriminate.
Haven't you heard? That's all the rage nowadays in the USA, 
Regards,
John |
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kittylitty
Joined: 26 Oct 2014
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 5:34 pm Post subject: |
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In the comments section for the article you find the following comments from people who know the professor:
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| I know the professor. He categorically denies the accusations of the students, but he hasn t been allowed to defend himself. Laureate couldn t have verified the students claims because Laureate hasn t interviewed the professor. It s as if he s automatically guilty without hearing his side of the story. The students are wrong in one respect: there are Muslims in the administration and many more in the faculty. We all work hard to foster an environment of respect for Islam and Saudi culture. |
| Quote: |
| It is unfortunate that so many people accept allegations as fact. I work at Laureate - the professor insists that the allegations are untrue. Management at Laureate knows that the students involved were angry with the teacher because he gave them zero on an exam for cheating. He also gave them zero and refused to accept plagiarized assignments. Cheating is so commonly tolerated at Laureate, that these students felt unfairly treated. Their accusations only came after getting caught cheating twice. |
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