2018-11-14

Gaza Strip

Gaza

The President and Board of Trustees of Al- Azhar University
The President and Board of Directors of Al- Azhar University
The Dean of the Arts faculty and the Dean of Al-Sharia Faculty at Al-Azhar University

Subject: Violating the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and their Humane Dignity

MUSAWA – The Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession extends its warmest greetings to your Excellency. 
On 12/11/2018, the center received a written complaint from Ms. Siham Abu Oweida, the representative of “Ahed & Mithaq” group, and Mr. Issam Al-Shawwa, the representative of “Konn Insan” group, and Mr. Bader Mesleh, an activist, and a representative for “Oyoon Filastin” group. All of the above-mentioned groups are social groups that seek the defense of the Persons with Disabilities rights. 

The complaint mentioned that Dr. .........., the part-time instructor of the Islamic Studies at your distinguished University, posted a Facebook post on his personal account on 6/11/2018, including an assault of PWDs describing them as people with “deformities”, and shamelessly accusing them of breaking into the places of worship with their “dirty wheels”. 

The post also included arrogance and discrimination against PWDs in a manner unbefitting a University teacher, whose main responsibility is contributing in the embodiment of the harmonization and mainstreaming culture, and fighting the racism and humiliation culture against the PWDs since they are citizens who enjoy the same rights and are subject to the same obligations, stressing that all official bodies, including schools and universities and all other social sectors, are bound to provide the PWDs with everything that can help in ensuring them equal opportunities and social integration and every means of harmonization and humane communication and access to public places – including Mosques and Churches. 

After a careful study of the post on the Facebook account of the defendant, the comments, and dialogues related to it since its date of publishing until the date of writing this memo, and after viewing the petition appended with the signatories of many social personalities, which is attached with the memo, MUSAWA - The Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the legal Profession believes that the contents of the complaint, if true, represent a major violation of the jurisdiction of the law, which falls under the umbrella of accountable crimes, and a violation of the professional code of conduct of university teachers and those who work in the academic sector in general. 

What is particularly striking in this regard is that the defendant resolved not only to write the post, but to keep on expressing his illegal behavior by replying to the comments on his post, and by insisting on describing the crippled citizen as “the one with deformity”. 

Such behavior raises the need for appointing an administrative commission of inquiry by the competent departments at your distinguished university, which must end his work contract and exempt him from any academic tasks, in addition to referring the investigation results to the prosecution, in order to hold him accountable duly, if the contents of the complaint were proven true, and to guarantee the PWDs’, individuals and groups, right to compensation, as well as to issue the instructions, system, and international regulations, which prohibit such culture and holds the perpetrators of any violations affecting the rights of the PWDs countable, in your University and all the universities in the Gaza Strip. 

Looking forward to your reply on our memo, and hoping you keep us updated with the actions taken in its regard duly. 

With All Due Respect

Issued on 14/11/2018

Ahlam Tarayra
Executive Director 

Attachments:
-    A copy of the complaint
-  A copy of the Facebook Post and comments on the defendant’s FB Page.