York U student’s refusal to work with women sparks rights debate

[SecularMotion]

A York University student who refused to do group work with women for religious reasons has sparked a human rights tug-of-war between a professor and campus administration.

While the professor wanted to deny the student’s request, a university dean ordered him to comply.

Professor Paul Grayson is now blowing the whistle on what he sees as a hierarchy of freedoms at York — religious rights trumping women’s rights.

“In order to meet an instance of a religious requirement we have tacitly accepted a negative definition of females,” Grayson told the Star. “That’s not acceptable.”

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/01/08/york_u_students_refusal_to_work_with_women_sparks_rights_debate.html

[The Magistrate]

1. Give The Man An 'Incomplete' And Move On, Sir....

If he does not want to do the course work, he ought never to have signed up for it.

[Demo_Chris]

2. yep

[LisaLynne]

9. I agree. nt

[1monster]

10. The professor, after meeting with other professors, decided to deny the student's request. The

student accepted the professor's decision and did do the class work with his group, most of whom were women.

The professor, however, may face disciplinary action for defying the dean... To be continued, I guess.

[Nye Bevan]

3. How is that different from refusing to work with blacks? (nt)

[Thinkingabout]

4. Maybe he did not want women to out perform him. Just another disturbance which is not

Needed. Perhaps he was trained in the present Congress, don't work with anyone.

[underpants]

5. A college age male who didn't want to be around college age females?

There's something wrong with that boy

[Glassunion]

6. He was taking this class online.

from the article:
“One of the main reasons that I have chosen internet courses to complete my BA is due to my firm religious beliefs,” the student wrote. “It will not be possible for me to meet in public with a group of women (the majority of my group) to complete some of these tasks.”

The reasoning was apparently that students studying abroad in the same online class were given accommodations, and allowed to complete an alternative assignment.

[renate]

7. he has a right to not get credit for that class

The professor shouldn't be obliged to accommodate him. Maybe the student should just make some sacrifices for his religious beliefs.

Before reading this, if I were the teacher I would probably have been willing to make some small effort (to let him do some independent study or something), as long as it didn't inconvenience anybody else or water down the work required to pass, but it's the teacher's right to decide whether or not to make concessions. Now I think that might have been a wimpy response. I admire the professor for his take on the situation (in his position I would have just thought "oy, fundamentalism, what a pain" but tried to respect religious differences as long as they didn't hurt anyone... but he makes a good point IMO, as have others here--how is that different from refusing to work with people of another race?).

[alp227]

8. There are religious beliefs, then the REAL WORLD.

Whether this stupid student, the Catholic lobby going against birth control in Obamacare, or any other religious fundies like it or not, the REAL WORLD doesn't fit in their holy books. So they've got to learn to compromise. And you say "FREEDOM OF RELIGION"? Too fucking bad.