Iranian faculty accuses US varsity of discrimination

An Iranian-born academic charges that a US university illegally denied him promotions and that an official accused him of starting a “one-man jihad” over the issue. Madjid Tavana’s discrimination suit against La Salle University in Philadelphia went to trial this week.

Tavana, a Muslim, says he was denied a promotion and higher pay at the Catholic college because of religious and ethnic bias that started after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. La Salle denies the charges.

Tavana joined the faculty as a business instructor in 1984 and rose to become chair of the management department in 1993. But shortly after the 2001 attacks, former business school dean Gregory Bruce told Tavana that the provost did not want anyone in the job for 12 years and asked him to step down, according to the suit.

He refused to step down, but says he was not reappointed in 2005 despite the recommendation of faculty.