Since 1975
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • Home
  • Middle East
  • Uni suspends Jordanian professor accused of sexually harassing female students

Uni suspends Jordanian professor accused of sexually harassing female students

Shutterstock
Shutterstock
Short Url:
09 Jun 2022 01:06:04 GMT9
09 Jun 2022 01:06:04 GMT9
  • The professor has denied the allegations, insisting that he never touched a female student and had maintained a professional and respectful career

Raed Omari

AMMAN: A Jordanian university professor accused by students of sexual harassment has been suspended from work and referred to the prosecutor general for further investigation.

Officials at the Jordan University of Science and Technology announced on Wednesday that uni President Khaled Salem had decided to suspend the professor pending the outcome of the judicial inquiry.

Students from JUST, in the northern city of Irbid, made the claims against a physics professor in a series of recent social media posts that sparked public outrage throughout the country.

The hashtag techno harasser, referring to JUST, went viral online, with students sharing accusations about the professor’s alleged sexual harassment. Some of their tweets and posts carried alleged chat logs between students and the professor.

And they claimed the tutor’s harassment of female students had been taking place for years.

Many of the claims have been reshared by social media users, notably an audio recording posted by a female student at JUST that allegedly captured an instance of the professor harassing students.

One student said the professor had invited female students to his office for private meetings, alleging that the university had failed to act in response to several subsequent complaints.

In a statement, JUST said that an investigation committee had been set up to probe the allegations and it urged any students that had been affected to come forward and lodge their complaints.

Although the professor has appeared in many media outlets, Arab News has withheld his name for reasons related to secrecy of the investigation.

Speaking to Jordan’s Roya TV, the professor denied all the allegations against him, and said he had been the target of a “smear campaign” launched by JUST students.

He also claimed that the videos and audio recordings that students had posted on social media networks were “fabricated,” adding that he had been a professor of physics at JUST for 30 years during which time he had maintained a “respectful career history.”

He noted that some students were probably angry after failing exams and “in revenge they launched a defamation campaign.”

The professor said he had filed a complaint with the court about the allegations made against him.

Also speaking to Roya, a female student from JUST who wished to remain anonymous, claimed the professor had insisted that she visit his office, where she was “verbally harassed,” adding that she had text messages proving the incident had taken place.

Speaking on behalf of her peers, another female student claimed that the professor inappropriately “touched two girls.” She said the professor had established a female-only group and “blackmailed” girls by threatening to fail them in exams if they did not answer his requests.

The professor has denied the allegations, insisting that he never touched a female student and had maintained a professional and respectful career.

topics
Most Popular
Recommended

return to top