Posted on 11/16/2001 1:23:35 PM PST by Luis Gonzalez
When terror struck America on Sept. 11, a University of Miami medical technician who was turning 22 that day said aloud, ``Some birthday gift from Osama bin Laden!''
Mohammad Rahat says he made the remark ``in a sarcastic way.'' But it caused enough of a stir that the university fired him -- an action that Rahat blames not only on his politically charged words, which also criticized U.S. foreign policy, but on his citizenship: Iranian.
``If the same thing had occurred with someone of a different background, it would have resulted in a different outcome,'' Rahat said Thursday outside his former job site on UM's Jackson Memorial Hospital campus. ``This was discrimination.''
Paula Musto, UM's vice president of university relations, confirmed Thursday that Rahat was fired in September because of what he said at work. But she denied that discrimination was at issue, saying that UM has ``many, many Arab and Muslim students, faculty and staff.''
Rahat's ``comments were deeply disturbing to his co-workers and superiors at the medical school,'' Musto said. ``They were inappropriate and unbecoming for someone working in a research laboratory. He was fired because he made those comments, certainly not because of his ethnic background.''
Rahat's lawyer, Andrés Rivera-Ortiz, protested the firing in a letter to UM President Donna Shalala sent last week.
Musto -- Shalala's spokeswoman -- said she did not know if Shalala was aware of Rahat's case, though the president typically is not informed of every firing decision.
Asked to contact Shalala, Musto said, ``I don't think she has a comment on it.''
Rahat is the second person known to have been fired from a job in Miami after expressing critical views of U.S. foreign policy in the wake of Sept. 11.
In October, Michael Italie, a Socialist mayoral candidate in Miami, was fired from his minimum-wage job as a sewing machine worker at Goodwill Industries of South Florida.
GOODWILL JOB
The termination took place after the local head of Goodwill learned that, during debates and forums, Italie was critical of U.S. military action in Afghanistan and supported the Cuban revolution.
Private employers -- including Goodwill and UM -- have a right to fire employees if they don't like their political beliefs, said Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, president of the Miami chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. They cannot fire employees based on race, religion, national origin, sex or sexual orientation.
Rodriguez-Taseff said the firing is part of a disturbing trend. ``It's bad policy to silence people just because you don't like what they say,'' she said. ``What we need to remember as a community going forward post-Sept. 11th is that the biggest damage we can inflict upon ourselves is to destroy the freedoms that are the hallmark of our country.''
Rahat worked as a research technician in two departments: microbiology and immunology, and surgery/transplants. In 13 months, Rahat said he received only positive evaluations and had an excellent relationship with his colleagues. They even threw him a small birthday celebration despite the tension of the day, he said.
Musto declined to discuss Rahat's employment record, calling it ``immaterial'' to his firing. He was suspended on Sept. 20 and fired on Sept. 25.
WORDS UNPOPULAR
Rahat acknowledges his comments on Sept. 11 were largely unpopular. But not all colleagues were offended and several have spoken on his behalf, he said.
He said he opined that the ``tragic events'' were predictable because U.S. foreign policy in Afghanistan had created anti-American sentiment, and because the United States had previously provided arms and training to the terrorists.
He said the United States was not sympathetic enough to the Palestinian cause and was too cozy with Israel.
And he made the ``birthday gift'' remark -- not out of sympathy with bin Laden, he says, but in a sarcastic attempt to say the attacks would ``be associated with my birthday.''
``I'm not sure of any other way I could sugar-coat it if I had that conversation again; we have to change our foreign policy,'' said Rahat, who said he is in the United States as a legal permanent resident. ``I am an opinionated person, but for them to fire me because of that, it's too unfair.''
In the letter to Shalala, Rahat's lawyer also raised another issue, saying ``the fact that the decision-makers in this case are apparently of Jewish ancestry is certainly evidence that would seem relevant, and which I would be remiss not to point out.''
Rivera-Ortiz did not name the UM officials involved in his client's firing whom he believes are Jewish. But he said that one of them stated in front of two witnesses: ``Mohammad is probably working at a lab from his kitchen now, making biological warfare.''
``I don't think that kind of comment would have been made had a Cuban or Anglo made the comments my client made,'' Rivera-Ortiz said, calling the remark evidence that Rahat was ``singled out because of his actual or perceived national origin.''
Rivera-Ortiz said a university should never ``quash dissent or unpopular views.'' He is asking Shalala to reconsider the firing because, he says, it was wrong, not just because there could be legal liability.
``We're just hoping that she will do the right thing and correct this injustice,'' he said.
UM is a private University, old Mohammad should have known better than to mix politics with work, he's not paid to wax on about his political views during working hours.
"...Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech...", Congress didn't, looks like nothing illegal here!
And I am NOT kidding.
Which is not always a bad thing.
Which is not always a bad thing.
Perhaps it would be better to say they used "discretion" or "discernment" in deciding to fire him.
He, and a whole slew of others, were all ready to go with this spiel even before the dust settled in Lower Manhattan. It's not 100% clear from the article that he mentioned AFGHANISTAN (in terms of U.S. policy creating resentment there) on 9/11 or at some later time, but if he did I find that highly suspicious, and more likely the reason for his dismissal than any "birthday present" remark. He should not only have been fired, but thoroughly questioned.
How perfect!!!!
He, and a whole slew of others, were all ready to go with this spiel even before the dust settled in Lower Manhattan. It's not 100% clear from the article that he mentioned AFGHANISTAN (in terms of U.S. policy creating resentment there) on 9/11 or at some later time, but if he did I find that highly suspicious, and more likely the reason for his dismissal than any "birthday present" remark. He should not only have been fired, but thoroughly questioned.
This country could use a little more discrimination like this. It is our failure to exercise discrimination in our immigration policies that led to 911.
Stay well - stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown
May be nothing, but....The university probably has anthrax samples. He was suspended on Sept. 20 and fired on Sept. 25. The first case of anthrax turned up in Miami.
. . . and an unemployed person too.
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