Nepali teacher detained in Qatar on blasphemy charge
A Nepali teacher at a school in Qatar has been fired and subsequently put in prison for allegedly making derogatory remarks on Islam.
According to Doha News, Dorje Gurung, a chemistry teacher at Qatar Academy, was fired by the school last week after he allegedly made derogatory remarks on Islam during an argument with a group of his students. Dorje was subsequently arrested by the police and put in jail.
“We can confirm that an incident recently arose involving a staff member at Qatar Academy which resulted in formal complaints being made regarding the manner in which students were addressed,” Doha News quoted Qatar Academy as saying in the statement.
The academy said the school leadership then took appropriate action against Gurung. “Since leaving our employment, we have learned that the incident is under investigation by the authorities. Therefore, it is currently inappropriate to comment further,” Qatar Academy stated.
Spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in Kathmandu Arjun Bahadur Thapa said they have not yet received information about the arrest of Gurung. “We will do the needful to secure his release through diplomatic channels,” Thapa said.
Gurung will remain in the custody until the next court hearing, which will be held in two weeks. He still does not have a lawyer, but the Nepali embassy in Doha said it will investigate the case, according to Doha News. Despite repeated attempts, officials at Embassy of Nepal in Doha could not be reached.
What actually happened?
As told to local media, Gurung said he had a sit-down chat on April 22 with three 12-year-old boys who were making fun of him. Among other things, the seventh graders poked fun at his appearance calling him Jackie Chan, a famous Chinese actor.
On the next day, the mocking began again while Gurung was in line for lunch. At first, he said the teasing was light-hearted, but then one student put his hand on Gurung´s shoulder and a finger on his nose. At this point, Gurung grew agitated and had heated arguments with them.
On April 24, he had a meeting with the school management probably based on the complaints of the students and on the next day he had submitted clarification as to what had actually happened. He was fired from the job on April 8.
Published on: 10 May 2013 | Republica
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