Manama: An Arab teacher has been sacked for asking her students at a private university in Bahrain to observe a minute's silence in tribute to Iraqi former president Saddam Husain.
The university administration fired the teacher after incensed Bahraini and Kuwaiti students complained about the teacher's request, Bahraini daily Al Ayam reported on Tuesday.
The political science teacher allegedly called for the tribute before the start of the class, saying that the students had to pay respect to the "martyr and hero of the nation."
However, several students took the request to the president who launched an investigation into the incident.
Years after his downfall and subsequent execution, Saddam remains a controversial figure in Bahrain.
A Jordanian law professor at private university in Manama has recently waded into controversy following complained by students that he had expressed views supporting the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
The professor denied the allegations and said that he would sue the students who "propagated false and misleading information."
In March 2008, an American professor was sacked from a private university in Manama for publishing the highly controversial Danish cartoons of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) on his website routinely surfed by students to download notes about his course and related articles.
The university, which offers courses in business, accounting, finance and marketing, attributed its decision to "concerns about the safety of the professor, a wish to preserve its reputation and a measure to ensure the stability of classes following repeated calls to sack him."
