Geneva Teacher Compensated for Controversial Remarks

Here is an excerpt from Tribune de Geneve:

“A Geneva teacher fired for controversial comments he made in an article for a French newspaper will receive SFr255,000 in damages from the canton of Geneva. The canton announced yesterday it is paying the amount to Hani Ramadan, a French teacher from a junior high school (cycle d’orientation) in Meyrin. The sum is the equivalent of two years’ salary for the teacher who was sacked in November Protected content defending the stoning of men and women guilty of adultery.”

Full article here:
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Then article concludes by saying “In all, the canton has paid more than SFr1 million to deal with the conflict.”

From what I have read about Ramadan is that he also has controversial views on AIDS, and supports female incisions and male circumcision in cases of adultery. I suppose what really got the city fired up is that he made these views public. In firing him from his job, correct procedures were not followed, and now the city has SFr 1 million less in its hands.

I certainly do not promote such things as women or men being stoned, regardless of their actions, and I will be inclined to not befriend anyone that does support such things. However, I think the city may have gone a little too far with dismissing him based on his comments in a French newspaper (Le Monde). Maybe I am speaking too soon as I have not actually read what he wrote, but what do you guys think? Maybe because of his position as a jr. high teacher, he shouldn’t be promoting such actions because it could me he is also doing so in the classroom. However, aren’t many teachers outspoken and controversial in that sense, especially college professors? Or maybe I am also looking too philosophically about “universal truths”. Who are we to say that what he says is wrong, when his beliefs are based on a culture so different from ours? In that sense, it is said that everything about his culture is wrong. Or is it a universal truth that no one has a right to ever stone anyone….?

Hope to get you guys talking…