Friday, May 18, 2007

Compared to What?: Dismissal of Islamist Professors in Jordan Alarms Government Opponents

From The Chronicle: :
A Jordanian university dismissed 14 Islamist professors last week, many of them affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group that has harshly criticized the Jordanian government....

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood accused the university of bowing to government pressure. Tensions have been mounting between the government and the Brotherhood as the country begins to prepare for elections in the coming months. The Islamic Action Front is the main political opposition in Jordan....

"Dismissing professors at universities happens every year," Mr. Arabiyat said. "But you can't ignore the fact that the majority of those who were dismissed are Islamist." The government has singled out Islamist professors at public universities in the past, Mr. Arabiyat said, but the recent dismissals represented an alarming escalation.

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