Professor axed over Danish cartoons

An American university professor has been fired after he angered students by publishing Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed on his website.

According to UAE daily Gulf News, the caricatures were published on a personal website used by students to download course notes.

“Many incensed students, mainly from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, protested vehemently and argued with the professor, and eventually reported him to the president of the university for insulting Islam,” students told the newspaper.

The professor who was initially suspended, faced a ‘barrage of criticism’ from students who demanded a zero-tolerance policy against anyone who offended Muslims by reprinting the cartoons.

"The university eventually backtracked on its decision to reinstate the professor and sacked him despite a formal apology and the removal of the cartoons from his website," the sources said.

Gulf News did not give the name or location of the university, but marked the report from Manama in Bahrain.

Protests against Denmark have raged across the Muslim world since 17 Danish dailies last month reprinted a drawing featuring Prophet Mohammed's head with a turban that looked like a bomb with a lit fuse.

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