Reference no: EM131709181

Question: Sami Al-Arian was a tenured professor of computer engineering at the University of South Florida. Early in 2002, the university terminated his employment, citing his public statements, reported by the media and broadcast on TV, in support of Islamic jihad. The university claimed in terminating Al-Arian that he posed a threat to the safety of other university employees. Do you think the university was justified in firing the Palestinian professor? What arguments could you make in favor of his reinstatement if you were his attorney? Did OSHA have any jurisdiction in this case? Would OSHA have had grounds to issue a citation for a safety violation if the university had failed to fire the professor and his presence on campus had in fact resulted in a violent third-party action that killed or injured university employees? See U.S. v. Al-Arian [308 F.Supp.2d 1322 (M.D.Fla. 2004)].