[Reader-list] College life in the US of A

[Nitin Govil]

Another version of the Six Degrees of Separation game manifests itself as we
all either are or know people targeted for verbal and physical attacks as a
result of the flaring anti-Muslim jingoism.

Below article is from The Chronicle of Higher Education.

nitin
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Community-College Instructor Is Suspended After Discussion on Terrorist
Attacks
By SCOTT SMALLWOOD

A longtime political-science instructor at Orange Coast College in Costa
Mesa, Calif., was placed on administrative leave last week after four Muslim
students complained that he had called them "terrorists" and "murderers"
during a classroom discussion.

The instructor, Ken Hearlson, told the Los Angeles Times he was speaking
about Muslim terrorists and those who support their actions, not the
students. Mr. Hearlson, who has taught at the two-year-college since 1980,
did not return messages left by The Chronicle.

The heated classroom debate occurred on September 18, a week after attacks
at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon killed thousands of people. Two
days after the discussion, the four students took their complaints to the
college's administrators.

"They felt that the instructor had made disparaging remarks about Muslims in
general and about the responsibility for the terrorist attacks," said Jim
Carnett, a spokesman for the college.

After several meetings on Thursday, administrators placed Mr. Hearlson on
indefinite administrative leave with pay while they continue investigating.
Officials will interview Mr. Hearlson again and talk with other students in
the 200-student Introduction to Government class before making a decision.
Substitute teachers will cover his classes in the meantime, Mr. Carnett
said.

Mr. Hearlson told the Los Angeles Times that he started Tuesday's lecture
with an intentionally provocative question that he feels most people are
afraid to ask: Why do Muslims condemn the terrorist attacks in New York and
at the Pentagon but never denounce terrorist attacks in Israel? The
instructor said he told students that if American Muslims don't condemn
terrorism in Israel, that means they must support terrorism. Mr. Hearlson
acknowledged provoking some students but said he allowed them to respond.

C.C. Abdelmuti, a 20-year-old sophomore and a Muslim, said that as the
discussion grew heated, Mr. Hearlson pointed his finger at a Muslim student
sitting next to her. "He said, 'You flew the planes into the World Trade
Center. You killed 5,000 people,'" she said.

Zayned Saidi, a Muslim student in the class, told the Los Angeles Times that
Mr. Hearlson "was saying lots of horrible things: 'You're terrorists,
murderers and rapists.'"

Ms. Abdelmuti said: "He was telling class that Muslims shouldn't be trusted
and shouldn't have any rights. If he wants to hate Muslims, fine. But don't
teach people how to hate Muslims."

Mr. Hearlson, who tells his classes that he is a born-again, conservative
Christian, said he apologized twice to students when told his words had
become too personal. But Ms. Abdelmuti said the teacher said only, "I
acknowledge what I said."

Last week, before administrators were aware of the complaints about Mr.
Hearlson, the college distributed two memorandums about the terrorist
attacks. One of them -- addressed to faculty members, staff members, and
students -- urged people to be "sensitive to various customs, cultural
heritages, and opinions of students of diverse ethnic and religious
backgrounds."

A second memo urged faculty members to "avoid singling out or focusing upon
any particular students or group of students regarding their views about the
incident." It also asked them to "be especially concerned that Middle
Eastern students are not made to feel scrutinized, blamed for the incident,
or threatened in your classroom."

Ms. Abdelmuti and the other students said they were pleased by the
administration's quick action. "I just hope that it becomes permanent," she
said.