Suez Canal University in Egypt An Egyptian public university has referred a lecturer to a disciplinary board for allegedly making blasphemous remarks, University World News has reported. Officials at the Suez Canal University said students had complained against Mona el-Prince, a professor of English literature at the Teachers\' College.
\"The move was taken after 40 students and the dean of the college complained that Dr Mona showed contempt for religion and spoke inappropriately about Muslim sheikhs,\" said the university’s President Maher Musbah.
According to the journal, el-Prince has vehemently denied the accusations: \"I am a Muslim and have never insulted religion,\" she said.
The row started last month when the academic was giving a class on conversation in English. “The subject of conversation does not have a specific syllabus. It usually depends on discussing a topic of public interest,\" the lecturer told a local television station.
At the time, the issue of sectarian sedition in Egypt was the focus of attention after violence between Muslims and Christians.
\"The lecture looked at different aspects of sectarianism in Egypt. I exchanged views with students,\" el-Prince explained.
Afterwards, some angry students lodged complaints with the college board. \"The dean of the college told me on the phone not to show up, claiming he could not ensure my safety after I received anonymous death threats,\" the professor revealed.
El-Prince claimed that the college\'s deputy dean, whom she described as a follower of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood, had twice stopped her from giving lectures.