Egypt: University teacher suspended for insulting Islam
Mohammed Mahmoud Mahdali has been referred to disciplinary committee
Dubai: Egypt’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research suspended a university teacher and referred him to a disciplinary committee for insulting Islam and Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), local media reported.
Mohammed Mahmoud Mahdali, professor at the Higher Institute of Social Service in Alexandria, appeared in two video clips posted on social media platforms a few days ago, while he was giving a lecture to students. He deliberately talked about Islam and insulted Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), while defending France’s position in the wake of the publication of the blasphemous caricatures of prophet Mohammed (PBUH).
In the first video, he spoke about Prophet Mohammed’s (PBUH) marriages in an abusive manner, and later appeared in another video insulting the Holy Quran. The abusive professor asked the students, who refused his comments, to leave the lecture hall.
Mahdali also rejected calls to boycott French products, saying French President Emmanuel Macron took the right decision to protect the right of expression in his country.
The abusive videos triggered outrage among students who filed a complaint against him, accusing him of insulting Islam and defaming its Prophet.
Hossam Abdul Ghaffar, spokesperson for the ministry, said the decision to suspend the teacher was taken after verifying the video’s content and following the complaint submitted by the students at the institute.
He said Dr. Khaled Abdul Ghaffar, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, assigned one of the professors of the Faculty of Law at Alexandria University to urgently investigate what was circulated.
“”It was decided to suspend the faculty member from work until the results of the investigation appear, provided that the results of the investigation will be presented to the minister within 48 hours,” the spokesperson added.