Tuesday, September 25, 2001

Community-College Instructor Is Suspended After Discussion on Terrorist Attacks By SCOTT SMALLWOOD A longtime political-science instructor at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif., was placed on administrative leave last week after four Muslim students complained that he had called them "terrorists" and "murderers" during a classroom discussion. The instructor, Ken Hearlson, told the Los Angeles Times he was speaking about Muslim terrorists and those who support their actions, not the students. Mr. Hearlson, who has taught at the two-year-college since 1980, did not return messages left by The Chronicle. The heated classroom debate occurred on September 18, a week after attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon killed thousands of people. Two days after the discussion, the four students took their complaints to the college's administrators. "They felt that the instructor had made disparaging remarks about Muslims in general and about the responsibility for the terrorist attacks," said Jim Carnett, a spokesman for the college. After several meetings on Thursday, administrators placed Mr. Hearlson on indefinite administrative leave with pay while they continue investigating. Officials will interview Mr. Hearlson again and talk with other students in the 200-student Introduction to Government class before making a decision. Substitute teachers will cover his classes in the meantime, Mr. Carnett said. Mr. Hearlson told the Los Angeles Times that he started Tuesday's lecture with an intentionally provocative question that he feels most people are afraid to ask: Why do Muslims condemn the terrorist attacks in New York and at the Pentagon but never denounce terrorist attacks in Israel? The instructor said he told students that if American Muslims don't condemn terrorism in Israel, that means they must support terrorism. Mr. Hearlson acknowledged provoking some students but said he allowed them to respond. C.C. Abdelmuti, a 20-year-old sophomore and a Muslim, said that as the discussion grew heated, Mr. Hearlson pointed his finger at a Muslim student sitting next to her. "He said, 'You flew the planes into the World Trade Center. You killed 5,000 people,'" she said. Zayned Saidi, a Muslim student in the class, told the Los Angeles Times that Mr. Hearlson "was saying lots of horrible things: 'You're terrorists, murderers and rapists.'" Ms. Abdelmuti said: "He was telling class that Muslims shouldn't be trusted and shouldn't have any rights. If he wants to hate Muslims, fine. But don't teach people how to hate Muslims." Mr. Hearlson, who tells his classes that he is a born-again, conservative Christian, said he apologized twice to students when told his words had become too personal. But Ms. Abdelmuti said the teacher said only, "I acknowledge what I said." Last week, before administrators were aware of the complaints about Mr. Hearlson, the college distributed two memorandums about the terrorist attacks. One of them -- addressed to faculty members, staff members, and students -- urged people to be "sensitive to various customs, cultural heritages, and opinions of students of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds." A second memo urged faculty members to "avoid singling out or focusing upon any particular students or group of students regarding their views about the incident." It also asked them to "be especially concerned that Middle Eastern students are not made to feel scrutinized, blamed for the incident, or threatened in your classroom." Ms. Abdelmuti and the other students said they were pleased by the administration's quick action. "I just hope that it becomes permanent," she said. Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

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