Janata Party president Dr Subramanian Swamy has lost his teaching job at the Harvard University in the USA with the University authorities removing his two courses from the syllabus.

The decision follows his controversial article on Islamic terrorism in India published in a Mumbai newspaper in July.

In his article, Dr. Swamy suggested demolition of hundreds of Indian mosques saying only those Muslims in India who acknowledge that their ancestors were Hindus should be allowed to vote in the country.

The article has become controversial and the faculty meeting, convened to approve the 2012 Summer School courses, had debated the issue for hours. Dr. Swamy teaches his two courses, ‘Quantitative Methods in Economics and Business’ and ‘Economic Development in India and East Asia’ at the three-month Harvard Summer School session every year.

The faculty, by a majority vote, decided to remove the two courses, calling his views as reprehensible. “Harvard is morally bound not to affiliate itself with anyone who expresses hatred towards a minority group,” opined the faculty members and decided to remove his two courses. Some of the faculty members stood by Dr Swamy but ultimately they were also forced to change their opinion.

Prior to the meeting, 400 students had signed a petition calling for Dr. Swamy’s removal from the faculty after the authorities had initially decided to stand by him, affirming its commitment to free speech principles.

Dr Swamy had received his Ph.D in Economics from Harvard in 1965 and has been serving as a professor ever since there.

Swamy appeals to reconsider decision

Shaken by the decision, Dr. Swamy has appealed to the Harvard University to reconsider its decision as the views expressed in the article are purely personal and have nothing to do with the courses.

In a statement in New Delhi, the professor said he had written the article for a Mumbai newspaper and it had nothing to do with his teaching economics at Harvard.

Calling the decision a dangerous one, he said it makes a person teaching in Harvard accountable to his writings on any subject anywhere in the world. “This means if somebody writes rubbish about India in America, he can be punished when he comes to India and it is very dangerous,” he said asking the University to reconsider its decision. (JUBS)