Centre Party forgives prof's Muhammad email
Published: 9 Mar 13 11:05 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/46632/20130309/
A local politician and university lecturer who sent a racist email to a student has been readmitted to the Centre Party in Rättvik, central Sweden.
- Lecturer suspended over racist Muhammad email (22 Feb 13)
Hans-Erik Hellborg, a lecturer in law, mistakenly sent the offensive email to a future student called Merhan Mahmoudi, who had requested guidance.
He wrote: "Hello Anneli, can you help Muhammad? He's probably come straight from Mecca."
Instead of forwarding the email to his colleague, Hellborg mistakenly hit the reply button and the message went to the 23-year-old Mahmoudi, who uploaded a screenshot of the email exchange to Facebook.
It prompted the creation of an online group calling for the teacher's resignation.
Hellborg, an elected representative of the Centre Party in Rättvik's city council, was suspended from Dalarna University (Högskolan Dalarna) after the email scandal broke out in February.
He said that he would take a time out from politics.
Hellborg's Centre Party colleagues have now apparently forgiven him, as he was re-elected at the board's annual meeting just two weeks after his suspension from the university, where an inquiry into the event is still underway.
When the email came to light, the Centre Party in Rättvik held a crisis meeting.
"We fully condemn this. It has harmed us," Roos said at the time.
Soon after, Hellborg had the opportunity to tell his party colleagues his own version of the events.
According to Roos, Hellborg admitted to a lack of judgement, said that he deeply regretted writing the email and explained that there were no hidden intentions behind the formulation, which he said was clumsy.
While Roos and her party colleagues agreed that the email was inappropriate and could be seen as offensive, they did not want to label it racist.
"We do not want to use that word. That would be taking it too far," said Roos.
Mahmoudi told news agency TT that he was "was shocked and disappointed" by the email, which he called "unacceptable".
Hellborg quickly backtracked, referring to the incident as a joke.
"It was a bad, crude joke," he told the Nyheter24.se news website at the time.
"I wrote back to him: 'I'm truly sorry - it was an error of judgement. It was supposed to be taken as a joke, but unfortunately it wasn't funny at all. I apologize. Welcome to the course.'"
The local Centre Party's annual board meeting was held in the first week of March and Hellborg was on the list of nominees for the coming term.
"He ran and was elected for a year's term, just like the other board members," said Roos.
The Local/nr Follow The Local on Twitter
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Stockholm's not burning
With international media swooping on the Stockholm riots from every angle, The Local's Oliver Gee explains why Stockholm is not burning, and how the story has been blown out of proportion. READ () »
Stockholm riots: causes and consequences
After five nights of rioting throughout the outskirts of Stockholm, many in Sweden and elsewhere are trying to make sense of it all. The Local spoke to a mix of commentators and local politicians to get their views. READ () »
Swedish firms 'clueless' about foreign graduates
As white-collar union Saco slammed Sweden for not helping well-educated foreigners into the labour market, The Local spoke to researcher Josefin Edström about the disconnect between foreign professionals and Swedish employers. READ () »
US and UK issue travel warnings for Sweden
The UK Foreign Office has issued a travel warning for Sweden after arsonists tore through several Stockholm suburbs, while Americans have been warned to stay out of the affected areas by their embassy. READ () »
Swedish riot police to call in reinforcements
With Swedish police set to call in reinforcements in an attempt to get the now five-day-old wave of arson and vandalism under control, Sweden's image abroad may have been tarnished. READ () »
Quiz: 'A Swedish city with a pulse'
For this week's secret location picture gallery quiz, we head to a city that's among the top 20 in terms of population size. Can you guess which one it is in nine clues? READ () »
Princess Madeleine 'not nervous' about wedding
Sweden's Princess Madeleine is "less nervous than she thought" about her impending walk down the aisle at Stockholm's Storkyrkan church to wed US financier Chris O'Neill. READ () »
'Tired' Swedes have less sex than ever: study
Swedes are having less sex than ever before, a new survey has revealed, and their libidos appear to have waned too, prompting researchers to warn that "desire disorders" may be keeping Swedes from getting intimate. READ () »
- 23/05 Minister: Stockholm riots 'not youth versus society' »
- 23/05 Swedish pressure needed on Assange: accuser »
- 19/05 Christian Democrat support drops: poll »
- 16/05 Swedish lobbying boom prompts regulation calls »
- 16/05 More Swedes in favour of joining Nato: poll »
- 15/05 Bildt welcomes China's new Arctic Council status »
- 15/05 Borg drops resistance to EU fiscal stimulus »
- 14/05 Sweden is important to Afghanistan: Kerry »
- 14/05 Russia 'lacks capacity' to attack Sweden: Reinfeldt »
- 13/05 Extend Sweden's Afghan mission past Nato's: Bildt »
| 24/05 | Accounts Payable to Bosch RexrothAcademic Work Danmark | Malmö |
| 24/05 | Analog Field Application EngineerArrow EMEA | Kista, STHM |
| 24/05 | Business Analyst, KarlskronaCapgemini Sverige AB | Karlskrona, BLE |
| 24/05 | CAE-Engineers within Solid MechanicsRandstad AB | Linköping or Växjö or Västerås, VTM |
| 24/05 | Corporate Sports Sales Executivesmarcus evans (Scandinavia) ltd. | Stockholm |
| 24/05 | Development Engineer ? Control SystemsExperis Engineering | SKÅ |
- 24/05 Fan wants Bayern ticket-Oktoberfest beer swap »
- 24/05 Nationwide cannabis limit rolls nearer »
More news from Germany at thelocal.de
- 24/05 Top Ten: English terms the French want barred »
- 24/05 Street crime hurts Paris tourism: fashion brands »
More news from France at thelocal.fr
More news from Norway at thelocal.no
- 24/05 China moves toward trade deal with Swiss »
- 24/05 Appenzell Innerhoden enjoys 'pure democracy' »
More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch
In cooperation with DoToday
Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss
- Corporate Sports Sales Executives
- INTERNATIONAL SALES EXECUTIVE
- Online Functional Designer
- Regional Sales Manager - Nordic EMEA (Mobility)
- Accounts Payable to Bosch Rexroth
- Interim Business Controller
- Senior IT Project Manager, Husqvarna
- Technical Expert - Antenna and
- Test Coordinator
- Analog Field Application Engineer
“Örngott”, “luttanpluttan” and “chokladglass” »
"Hej! How is your Swedish coming along? I have received many questions on the Facebook page and in my email lately and it seems like a good idea to post the answers here. Enjoy! Question 1 – “får inte” or “måste inte” Could you please clarify for me which is the most commonly used phrase in Swedish for..." READ »
- 23/5 09:23 REFLECTIONS OF A TWITTER VIRGIN…. (The Diplomatic Dispatch)
- 21/5 21:34 WEEK 21 (Stripes News)
- 20/5 15:25 Hockey. Hockey. Hockey. (Boston Blatte)
- Corporate Sports Sales Executives
- INTERNATIONAL SALES EXECUTIVE
- Online Functional Designer
- Regional Sales Manager - Nordic EMEA (Mobility)
- Accounts Payable to Bosch Rexroth
- Interim Business Controller
- Senior IT Project Manager, Husqvarna
- Technical Expert - Antenna and
- Test Coordinator
- Analog Field Application Engineer
- 18:44 Cleaning business in Sweden
- 18:41 Husby Riots and violence against the police...
- 16:37 Moving to Sweden (Questions) HELP
- 16:29 Adobo- Filipino Recipe
- 15:33 Questions regarding partner visa
- 12:33 Is it save to keep money at forexbank?
- 04:24 Gym memberships without a personnummer?
- 00:35 Restaurant Inspection Scores
- 00:13 Moving to Sweden from England
- 23:58 Living costs in London
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Your comments about this article:
The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.
Absolutely outrageous, and it reminds of what happened with the "tårtgate", while discrimination may not be as blatant as it was in the states in the 60's and before I believe Sweden has a long way to come in terms of acknowledging what seems to be systemic racism/racial discrimination.
But to throw away this man's life? What? Are we going to bring in the death sentence next? Or maybe we will become like Dubai where unsubstantiated claims that someone said something 'mean' (cry me a river...) will land a man in jail.
Yes, he made ONE mistake, he should get a slap on the hand, but we shouldn't tell him to 'go somewhere and die' over it. At least it seems that way to me.
And if someone was religiously insensitive, so what? Get over it! The Swedish tax payers helped and SAVED hundreds of thousands of your Muslim brothers and will be paying for your education.
And I am 100% certain this so-called future student will never leave Sweden once his so-called education is completed and would constantly complain how racist and horrible Sweden is.
Well it sounds a bit like you've never been an immigrant before...
It's not only about religious insensitivity. Part of it came from how little racism is acknowledged in society compared to how prevalence it really is. Call it "smygracism". Very few average Swedes will ever openly admit that they have racist thoughts or action, while SD keeps on growing bigger and bigger. Do you see a disparity there? The whole thing was about bringing out the hidden racism sentiment from behind the masks of denial. Denial of real-world problems is a major source to the social issues of this country.
@kaa977/Elf_Moon - did anyone speak in such drastic terms? other then the two of you? I stated that I believe that society should hold it's political officials/leaders accountable for such blatantly racially insensitive comments.
@ kaa977 - I find it a little sad (but it speaks directly to my initial comment) that you can assume that I am Muslim simply because I have an issue with something relating to Muslim culture. I am not Muslim however that does not silence me or lessen my empathy or disappointment in a society that could ignore or diminish the blatantly discriminatory comments of someone else.
Just as some 'food for thought' here is the pretty well know statement by Martin Niemöller about the apathy of German intellectuals during the Nazi uprising (maybe you have not heard it before):
"First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the socialists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Catholic.
Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me."
Just because this mans statements didn't offend you or your culture directly does not mean there should be any less of an outcry against his unprofessional and discriminatory statement.
So i'll leave you with these:
definitions:
- stereotype: a set of inaccurate, simplistic generalizations about a group that allows others to categorize them and treat them accordingly
- racism: a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
Like many politically correct posters you appear to be incapable of distinguishing the difference between 'mildly inappropriate' and 'completely inappropriate'.
What happened is as old as mankind itself, which is oldtimers privately having mild fun amongst themselves at the disorientation of newcomers to an area or to an institution.
I have 'non white' friends who make this kind of joke about newly arrived taxi drivers in Stockholm (both 'white' and 'non-white') who are so disoriented that they need a GPS to find their way from Gamla Stan to T-Centralen.
For the student to react in abject horror at being called a Muslim could make this student appear (in the eyes of some) to be as xenophobic as the professor may appear to you to be.
The professor made an inappropriate joke in a private email to a colleague, and he obviously was not sufficiently cautious when sending it. If the student was insulted by the email, then it would have been more appropriate to first arrange to meet with the Professor and the Dean privately, and/or to request a letter of apology, and to only resort to informing the press (which essentially blackmails the University into suspending the professor, for PR reasons) if his request for an apology was dismissed or refused.
"Oh my God! Let's declare a head hunt on the guy or burn the university down. Something similar to the Danish cartoons saga. I am sure then all the Muslims will be loved."
Can you make yourself thinking lil bit NOT EXTREMIST ????
"If Sweden is such a horrible racist country, why move there? Isn't better to stay home and fight the wars you created yourselves?"
When you are going to stop selling weapons to these countries, so that they can make peace in their country?
When you are going to stop INVADE them and start entering in their country by knocking the doors like they do???
"And if someone was religiously insensitive, so what? Get over it! The Swedish tax payers helped and SAVED hundreds of thousands of your Muslim brothers and will be paying for your education."
Can you help me to understand how you are trying to influence their beliefs and thoughts IN THEIR COUNTRIES by selling weapons and invading them by being a part of NATO??
Can you help me to understand HOW it makes justified that a weapon sold by you KILLS 1000 and you save 1???
Can you help me to understand the Money which you pay as TAX is not from selling weapons to these countries????
Can you help me to understand the ways you are not pulling out their money by investing there in their countries????
Can you help me to understand if you still offer FREE studies to these countries any more????
"And I am 100% certain this so-called future student will never leave Sweden once his so-called education is completed and would constantly complain how racist and horrible Sweden is."
DO you have any such statistics that these "so-called future students" stay in your country WITHOUT being offered any position by indigenous swedes?
Real problem with you is that you can not distinguish between asylum seekers and the students who enter your home by knocking your door with GUEST visa.
And further more, you are not literate in terms why people do asylum in your home and what is connection between invasion, weapons, economy sucking AND asylum.