Parveen Shaikh, the principal of Somaiya Vidya Vihar School in Mumbai, has been sacked from her job for her Pro – Palestinian views on social media. She had been associated with Somaiya School for about 12 years and took charge as the principal seven years ago.
According to her linkedin profile, Ms. Shaikh has over 30 years of experience in the field of education. Her expertise includes coaching, mentoring, and professional development of students. She is also skilled at designing curricula and creating effective classroom layouts. Additionally, at Somaiya Vidya Vihar, she has been involved in school audits.
Ms. Shaikh has been accused of endorsing “pro-Hamas, and ”pro-Islamist” views through her engagement with posts on social media platform X.
On Tuesday, May 7, The Somaiya school management issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) stating that her personal social media activities were “starkly misaligned with the values we cherish.”
“After careful consideration of concerns, the trust has decided to discontinue her services to ensure that ethos of unity and inclusivity is not compromised” the statement read.
Here are some reactions on Twitter regarding Ms. Parveen’s dismissal:
Punita Toraskar (@impuni):
Thank you for prioritizing the well-being of our children. Now, it is important to closely monitor those who were recruited by her and ensure any radicals are removed from the school if necessary. Excellent work, and let’s make sure that individuals like her are never hired in the future.
Harry (@AnshMohan01):
We should not reinstate her in the future. We must prevent terrorist sympathizers from influencing our children. “Please consider reverting the names of the four houses to their previous names. Pravin Shaikh changed them because they were named after the four Vedas”, the X user wrote.
Another user comments:
Awesome. A woman who supports Hamas and Zakir Naik is not fit to teach, let alone shape the minds of our future generations. However, she may find a column with The Wire or Scroll, or even secure employment with one of the Soros NGOs.
To provide you a context, Parveen’s dismissal resulted from an article published by propaganda website Op-India, which criticized her for endorsing social media posts supportive of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and posts that propagated anti-Ram Mandir views.
On April 24th, propaganda website Op-India published a detailed report highlighting Ms. Parveen’s Islamic views and her alignment with anti-Indian sentiments on social media. As per the claims made in the article, Ms. Parveen frequently liked Hamas pronouncements, as well as posts supporting Hamas’s senior leadership, Ismail Haniyeh.
According to the claims made in the article, Ms. Parveen Shaikh has demonstrated a consistent pattern of liking tweets that included figures like Islamist preacher Zakir Naik and Umar Khalid, who, as per the propaganda site, was involved in the anti-Hindu riots in New Delhi, India.
The Op-India article also noted that she has liked tweets that blame Hindus for fundamentalist attacks on their religious processions. Additionally, she expressed derogatory views about Hindus, portraying them as beggars in front of Arab countries and opposing the construction of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir.
Moreover, the website claimed that on April 12th, Shaikh liked a post by Jackson Hinkle, an American political commentator. The post praised the children and grandchildren of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who were killed by Israel. Shaikh referred to their deaths as ‘martyrdom’.
The OpIndia report sparked significant outrage, prompting the Somaiya Trust to issue its final decision on Tuesday.
Previously, in response to the Op-India post, the trust stated, “We were unaware of these sentiments until they were brought to our attention today. We do not condone such views and find them concerning. We are currently investigating the matter.”
About Somaiya College:
Established in 1959 by Padmabhushan awardee Shri K. J., the Somaiya Vidya Vihar College in Ghatkopar (East Mumbai) operates under the stewardship of the Somaiya Trust. This trust also oversees several Ayurvihar campuses, accommodating approximately 35 institutions and employing about 1500 teaching staff.
Over the years, the trust has cultivated a robust educational ecosystem that spans from pre-school to post-graduation, catering to approximately 27,000 students.
In addition to its Ayurvihar institutes, the Somaiya Trust runs a specialized college dedicated to Dharma studies.
The courses offered in Dharma studies emphasize that while adherence to any religious beliefs is not mandatory, the college encourages experiential learning through interfaith dialogue.
