Indian-origin professor suspended in California for supporting Gaza, sues university
Marya, identified as an expert in decolonial theory, was placed on leave in September 2024 and had her clinical privileges briefly suspended by the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) executive medical board following comments she made on X that questioned the impact of Zionism as "a supremacist, racist ideology" on healthcare, according to a report in The Guardian.Without naming Marya directly, the university subsequently issued a statement stating such comments were a "tired and racist conspiracy theory" that "Zionist doctors were a threat to Arab, Palestinian, South Asian, Muslim and Black patients, as well as the US healthcare system" and should be condemned, The Guardian reported."UCSF's January 6 statement accused Marya of promoting a "racist" and "antisemitic" "conspiracy theory".advertisementThe board called her a "possible imminent danger" and cited social media posts, according to court documents. Her privileges were reinstated on October 15, NBC reported.According to her attorney, Mark Kleiman, Marya was fired last month. Kleiman said she was fired "despite requesting a hearing, which she was entitled to".RUPA MARYA RECEIVED RAPE THREATS: COURT DOCUMENTS"Firing Dr Marya doesn't only violate her right to free speech, it threatens all of us (sic)," NBC quoted Kleiman as saying."We all need to urgently speak up against these kinds of attacks on our basic rights to advocate for justice, and we expect the Court will agree with us that Dr Marya's rights have been violated and must be remedied (sic)," Kleiman added.According to court documents, Marya received "rape and death threats" as well as "repeated harassment and threats" owing to her posts.In November 2023, the dean of UCSF's School of Medicine informed Marya that her social media activity would be reviewed to determine if it breached university policies.According to the court documents, "Her posts take aim at state policy and supremacist political ideologies, not at any religious or ethnic group."The varsity's spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing privacy laws.advertisementMarya completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of California at San Francisco in 2007, was subsequently offered employment and joined the faculty.Marya was appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom to the Healthy California for All Commission, to advance a model for universal healthcare in California, according to the University of California, San Francisco website.
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