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In June, Andrew Wilkie rejected an Israeli's request to work in his lab because he had a "huge problem" with the Israeli treatment of Palestinians.
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10/27
Oxford University |
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| By Ellis Shuman October 28, 2003 |
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Professor Andrew Wilkie, who refused in June to accept an Israeli grad student because of "Israel's treatment of the Palestinians," was suspended without pay for two months, Oxford University said yesterday.
"Suspension is the most serious penalty that the University can impose, short of dismissal or removal from office," the university said in a statement. "This ruling reflects that there can be no place for any form of discrimination within the University of Oxford other than on the grounds of merit," the statement said. Wilkie will also take "equal opportunities training" as part of his penalty.
Oxford's Pembroke College said that in light of the suspension, Wilkie had resigned as a Fellow of the college and a member of its governing body.
In June, Wilkie rejected a request by Tel Aviv University student Amit Duvshani, 26, to work in his laboratory as part of his PhD training because he had a "huge problem" with the Israeli treatment of Palestinians.
In an e-mail message, Wilkie said that Israelis "take the moral high ground from their appalling treatment in the Holocaust, and then inflict gross human rights abuses on the Palestinians because they [the Palestinians] wish to live in their own country."
Referring to Duvshani's three years of conscripted service in the Israel Defense Forces, Wilkie added: "I am sure you are perfectly nice at a personal level, but no way would I take on somebody who had served in the Israeli army. As you may be aware, I am not the only UK scientist with these views but I'm sure you will find another suitable lab if you look around."
When news of the e-mail became public, there was outrage from many of Prof. Wilkie's colleagues. Days after he wrote to Duvshani, Wilkie apologized for "the wholly inappropriate expression of my personal opinions" in the e-mail.
"I recognize and apologize for any distress caused by my email of 23 June and the wholly inappropriate expression of my personal opinions in that document. I was not speaking on behalf of Oxford University or any of its constituent parts. I entirely accept the University of Oxford's Equal Opportunities and Race Equality policies," Wilkie said in his apology.
In response to Oxford's decision yesterday, Dan Paskins, vice-president (graduates) of Oxford University Student Union, said: "If Oxford University is truly committed to equal opportunities, then it seems to us that Prof. Wilkie should also be barred from taking part in the formal admissions process. This would send a clear message to potential applicants of all backgrounds that the university is committed to equal opportunities and access based on academic merit only."
Prof. Wilkie was appointed Nuffield professor of pathology in May 2003 and has been "instrumental" in developing the Oxford Craniofacial Unit into a world-class center for genetic research, British media sources reported.
According to the Jerusalem Report, Duvshani's master thesis was about the effects of "the mutations of a particular enzyme on the activity of the HIV virus." After being rejected by Wilkie, Duvshani told the magazine that he was considering either going to go to the Weizmann Institute in the fall, or to the U.S. "They're more tolerant there," he said.
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