Disciplinary hearing for lecturer who refused to teach reservist

Nizar Hassan's classes are cancelled, and he will report before hearing committee Thursday; committee likely to dismiss him

Shmulik Hadad
Published: 11.22.07, 00:15 / Israel News

Sapir College will hold a hearing tomorrow for Nizar Hassan, a film professor who refused to teach uniformed reservist Eyal Cohen. Sources within the college said that the hearing procedure marks the beginning of the dismissal process, and therefore Hassan's classes have been cancelled.

After Cohen filed a formal complaint against what he called the lecturer's improper behavior, and after the report was corroborated by Hassan himself, the Internal Academic Council convened and decided to arrange the hearing. The panel will be chaired by Uri Regev, the head of the Economics Faculty. A legal adviser will oversee the proceedings.
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Since the story was first published on Ynet, tensions on and off campus have remained high. Midday Wednesday, a call went up around campus for students to attend Hassan's Thursday lecture in uniform. The student's plan will not be carried out as the lecturer's classes have all been cancelled for the time being.

Insult to pluralism and the citizenry

Meanwhile, a group of Hassan's students in the film program circulated a petition against dismissing Hassan. According to his supporters, Hassan is the victim of a brutal crusade.

"We support the idea that no one in an academic institution should wear a uniform representing a military regime, be it the IDF, the US army, the UN, or Hamas. The academy is an institution ruled by the spirit and not the fist, intelligence and not the rifle. Thought, research, and criticism- not extreme nationalism. At least this is how we prefer to think. We see wearing an army uniform, of any army, in an academic educational institution as an insult to pluralism and the citizenry."

The same students called upon the college to permit freedom of expression. Those who drafted the petition say they have encountered harsh responses from students that disagree, but that they will continue to fight to prevent Hassan's dismissal.