Spring Break
Iraqi researchers file suit against Texas A&M
Visiting scientists say they were harassed, internal investigation finds otherwise.
By: Madiha Rizvi
Issue date: 11/17/08 Section: News
The isolated trailer was like a 9-by-12 box, where the man and woman had to eat, drink and pray every day. The bathroom did not work and they had to walk outside to find one. They were expected to stay there for days at length to conduct research.
The couple were disrespected by fellow researchers. They threw animal feces at the couple's prayer mat and made "jumping movements and turkey sounds" when the woman went inside to perform abolition before her daily prayers.
Mundhir Ridha and his wife Saeeda Muhsen, two visiting reproductive scientists from Iraq, said that fellow researchers working in the Reproductive Sciences Lab at Texas A&M University were subjecting them to "intolerable harassment, ridicule, debasement and abuse because of their national origin, religion, color and race."
Watson said that he and his wife needed a way to get out of Iraq and one of the faculty members invited him as visiting scientist.
After Ridha reported the incidents to the dean of veterinary medicine, nothing happened. He went to Dean of Faculties, Karen Watson, and filed a grievance.
After a research investigation, Watson wrote in a letter to the plaintiffs dated Jan. 2: "You [Ridha] grossly exaggerated the harshness with which you claim you were treated and it was found that you fabricated evidence."
In October, Ridha and Muhsen filed a civil suit against Texas A&M.
Watson said, in an interview with The Battalion, that in a case like Ridha's, they listen to both sides of the issue. They gather information from eyewitnesses and people who were aware of the situation and use that information to decide what is best for the individuals and what is best for the institution.
Ridha said that he could not conduct his research at A&M and was not paid for the last two months that he worked in the Texas A&M Reproductive Sciences Lab in College Station.
"When the complaint was made, his appointment [as a visiting scientist] was really over," Watson said.
Watson said that the plaintiff was never an employee of A&M because he was using part of someone else's grant money to conduct research. He had never brought in a grant or his own money to conduct research.
"He was paid by us when he was working on some other people's grants, not Texas A&M money, but grants from an outside funder where we have said that we would do a certain set of experiments," Watson said.
The investigative team was led by the Associate Dean of Faculty Antonio Cepeda-Benito. The investigation concluded that the couple staged the events. Because of the outcome of the investigation, it was under consideration whether Ridha would be allowed to continue his research work in the lab.
The research lab underwent diversity awareness and sensitivity workshops under the Department head of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology Glenn Laine so that they could prevent misunderstandings.
"They kicked me and my wife out of RSL in a trailer," Ridha said.
Ridha said that his prayer rug was like an altar to him, and the lab members had put animal feces and urine on it.
"There was a great reason to believe that he manufactured some photographs, months after he claimed the event happened," Watson said. "Six weeks into the event, showing what he claimed happened. He made these claims and never showed us photos and then all of the sudden had dozens of photos."
Watson said that they had the technology to see the dates of the photos. She said that they had given Ridha the opportunity to explain himself and to give them the camera but he refused.
Shane McClelland, the attorney for the couple, said that his clients had faced persecution and discrimination and they wanted to prevent it from happening to others.
"Their sacred religion and their holy prayer rug were desecrated," McClelland said. "They had been seeking asylum from Iraq and instead of receiving them with open arms where they could pursue their American dream, they were discriminated against."
Ridha said that he was depressed and in pain when they persecuted him.
"I am out of a job; I cannot support my family," he said. "I cannot do my work, and cannot accomplish my American dream which I came here for."
"I feel very empathetic for this man and his wife. They have led a very hard life," Watson said. "They know how it is to be persecuted. I absolutely believe that and I think we can learn a lot from him, but there is a certain line where you say, now you are starting to make claims that we are certain are falsifiable, then you are losing a lot of credibility."
Civil suit filed against:
University:
Texas A&M University System
Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Veterinary physiology and Pharmacology
Texas A&M University System Health Science Center
Texas A&M College of Medicine Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine
Texas AgriLife Research
Individuals:
H. Richard Adams, D.V. M., Ph. D.
Duane Kreamer
Mark Westhusin
Charles Long
Christy Bormann
The couple were disrespected by fellow researchers. They threw animal feces at the couple's prayer mat and made "jumping movements and turkey sounds" when the woman went inside to perform abolition before her daily prayers.
Mundhir Ridha and his wife Saeeda Muhsen, two visiting reproductive scientists from Iraq, said that fellow researchers working in the Reproductive Sciences Lab at Texas A&M University were subjecting them to "intolerable harassment, ridicule, debasement and abuse because of their national origin, religion, color and race."
Watson said that he and his wife needed a way to get out of Iraq and one of the faculty members invited him as visiting scientist.
After Ridha reported the incidents to the dean of veterinary medicine, nothing happened. He went to Dean of Faculties, Karen Watson, and filed a grievance.
After a research investigation, Watson wrote in a letter to the plaintiffs dated Jan. 2: "You [Ridha] grossly exaggerated the harshness with which you claim you were treated and it was found that you fabricated evidence."
In October, Ridha and Muhsen filed a civil suit against Texas A&M.
Watson said, in an interview with The Battalion, that in a case like Ridha's, they listen to both sides of the issue. They gather information from eyewitnesses and people who were aware of the situation and use that information to decide what is best for the individuals and what is best for the institution.
Ridha said that he could not conduct his research at A&M and was not paid for the last two months that he worked in the Texas A&M Reproductive Sciences Lab in College Station.
"When the complaint was made, his appointment [as a visiting scientist] was really over," Watson said.
Watson said that the plaintiff was never an employee of A&M because he was using part of someone else's grant money to conduct research. He had never brought in a grant or his own money to conduct research.
"He was paid by us when he was working on some other people's grants, not Texas A&M money, but grants from an outside funder where we have said that we would do a certain set of experiments," Watson said.
The investigative team was led by the Associate Dean of Faculty Antonio Cepeda-Benito. The investigation concluded that the couple staged the events. Because of the outcome of the investigation, it was under consideration whether Ridha would be allowed to continue his research work in the lab.
The research lab underwent diversity awareness and sensitivity workshops under the Department head of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology Glenn Laine so that they could prevent misunderstandings.
"They kicked me and my wife out of RSL in a trailer," Ridha said.
Ridha said that his prayer rug was like an altar to him, and the lab members had put animal feces and urine on it.
"There was a great reason to believe that he manufactured some photographs, months after he claimed the event happened," Watson said. "Six weeks into the event, showing what he claimed happened. He made these claims and never showed us photos and then all of the sudden had dozens of photos."
Watson said that they had the technology to see the dates of the photos. She said that they had given Ridha the opportunity to explain himself and to give them the camera but he refused.
Shane McClelland, the attorney for the couple, said that his clients had faced persecution and discrimination and they wanted to prevent it from happening to others.
"Their sacred religion and their holy prayer rug were desecrated," McClelland said. "They had been seeking asylum from Iraq and instead of receiving them with open arms where they could pursue their American dream, they were discriminated against."
Ridha said that he was depressed and in pain when they persecuted him.
"I am out of a job; I cannot support my family," he said. "I cannot do my work, and cannot accomplish my American dream which I came here for."
"I feel very empathetic for this man and his wife. They have led a very hard life," Watson said. "They know how it is to be persecuted. I absolutely believe that and I think we can learn a lot from him, but there is a certain line where you say, now you are starting to make claims that we are certain are falsifiable, then you are losing a lot of credibility."
Civil suit filed against:
University:
Texas A&M University System
Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Veterinary physiology and Pharmacology
Texas A&M University System Health Science Center
Texas A&M College of Medicine Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine
Texas AgriLife Research
Individuals:
H. Richard Adams, D.V. M., Ph. D.
Duane Kreamer
Mark Westhusin
Charles Long
Christy Bormann
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