Former Trinity Arabic lecturer, Dr Ali Selim, has won his unfair dismissal case against the College, after his televised comments about female genital mutilation (FGM) courted controversy last year.
Selim’s dismissal came after he made comments on female circumcision on RTÉ’s Prime Time last year, saying FGM was acceptable when practiced by a doctor in a safe environment. “I’m not an advocate of female genital mutilation but I am an advocate of female circumcision”, Selim said. “We see female circumcision in the same way we see male circumcision. It might be needed for one person and not another, and it has to be done by a doctor and practised in a safe environment.”
These comments were heavily criticised by Ireland’s Muslim community. The comments also sparked much criticism from students and staff in Trinity. Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) condemned the comments as “wrong and dangerous” and expressed “extreme concern” over these comments. Then-TCDSU President Kevin Keane then published a letter on behalf of students calling for Selim’s dismissal. Trinity subsequently dismissed Selim in September 2018.
Selim later publicly apologised for his comments and said he condemned FGM unconditionally, claiming he “misunderstood the terms as the medical experts would use them”.
Selim, unhappy with the nature of his dismissal, decided to contact employment solicitors in the hope of getting some compensation from Trinity. Yesterday, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) adjudication officer Penelope McGrath called on Trinity to pay Selim €6,144 for unfair dismissal from the university. This compensation includes €4,000 for unfair dismissal, €1,644 for non-payment of notice, and €500 for the lack of provision detailing Selim’s written terms of employment.
Trinity had said that its dismissal was justified as students stopped attending Selim’s classes. Whether due to boycott or a lack of interest, Trinity said it could not continue to employ Selim when students would not attend his classes.
Selim, in response, said Trinity had never provided him with a clear reason as to why he was dismissed, saying Trinity “lacked the fortitude” to retain him during the backlash due to the cultural differences within College. McGrath ruled in Selim’s favour, describing Trinity’s actions as “inadequate”.
Selim taught an evening language class in Arabic and was employed on an hourly basis.
FGM has been illegal in Ireland since 2012, under the Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Act 2012, which does not differentiate between FGM and female circumcision.
Correction: April 24th, 11am
An earlier version of this article said that Selim later condoned FGM unconditionally. In fact, he condemned it.
