17 December 2023 , 18:23
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A Palestinian teenager has been expelled from a US high school after his mum criticised Israel’s invasion of Gaza - in a social media post.
Jad Abuhamda, 15, was told not to return to Pine Crest School in Florida after his mum, Dr. Maha Almasri, slammed Israel's “collective brutality” against Palestinian civilians and children.
She had been working at the academy, in Fort Lauderdale, as a math tutor when her comments on Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza came to light. And the school said they had later taken the decision to sack her on the grounds that she’d “repeatedly" shared posts that were "hateful and incendiary”.
But the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) dismissed this suggestion - saying that “not a single word" written by Dr Almasri had incited violence to anyone. And they have now called for a full inquiry by the Department of Education following the news that her son Jad was also expelled from the private school.
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Jad Abuhamda, 15, was told not to return to Pine Crest School in Florida after his mum, Dr. Maha Almasri, was fired from her role as a tutor at the academy (NBC Miami)CAIR-Florida lead attorney Omar Saleh said: “This is not a Muslim issue, it is a constitutional issue when a school administration takes retaliatory measures against an innocent student because his mother made non-violent, non-disruptive comments on her social media platform that criticized atrocities against innocent civilians in Gaza.
“Pine Crest administration unfortunately can’t stand to hear it because it ‘makes others uncomfortable’.”
Jad Abuhamda, 15, is now banned from returning to Pine Crest School in Florida (NBC Miami)Pine Crest School originally released a statement on December 8 saying it had sacked an employee, later revealed as Dr. Almasri, due to her remarks on social media. It claimed the comments by the tutor were both “wrong” and “morally reprehensible” and added that it had led to an “increased risk of violence” at the academy.
And it said she was fired when she refused to take down the posts, which had also 'violated' the school’s employee handbook.
A spokesperson said: “We believe that learning to respectfully and peacefully debate important issues, even when there are strong disagreements, is essential to high-quality education. However, there is no place in our institution for activity that is discriminatory, incendiary, or that supports, encourages, or incites violence or hatefulness of any kind.
“It is not only wrong and morally reprehensible, but disrupts learning, causes deep division, and can (and often does) lead to increased risk of violence. This type of behavior has no place in our school and will never be tolerated.
“She did not remove the material and, in fact, posted more inflammatory content. Her actions violated the employee handbook and the School’s enrollment agreement, which not only caused her employment separation but also impacted the eligibility of her child to continue as a student at the School.”
However, CAIR-Florida defended Dr. Almasri following the decision, while branding the school's statement both “false and defamatory”.
CAIR representatives are now calling on a full investigation into what took place at the school (NBC Miami)And it claimed the academy had in fact terminated the tutor's employment and then expelled her son because of their beliefs.
A spokesperson said: “When Pine Crest administration asked Dr. Almasri to remove posts, she did not refuse the request, and further deactivated her social media accounts. Pine Crest still terminated her and expelled her son because of her beliefs which are contrary to its administration’s apparent stance on the Middle East conflict.
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“This is despite Dr. Almasri expressing those beliefs in her personal capacity and not at school.”
The school has not allowed the pair to return since this incident (NBC Miami)CAIR said that Dr. Almasri and her son had, themselves, been put in threat of “retaliation” following the school's decision to remove them both. And it said a full investigation by the Department of Education was now needed to probe whether the school maybe in breach of the constitution.
The Department of Education has been contacted for comment.