Appeals Court Upholds Teacher Firing Over Holocaust Denial, 9/11 Theories

A federal appeals court has upheld a New Jersey school district's firing of a teacher who allegedly taught his high school history students denial of the Holocaust and conspiracy theories linking the United States to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The teacher, Jason Mostafa Ali, alleged that his dismissal from Woodbridge (N.J.) High School in 2016 was discriminatory based on his race and his perceived religion. Ali is of Egyptian descent and is described in court papers as a nonpracticing Muslim. He alleged that staff members at the school had made disparaging remarks about him based on race and religion.

But both a federal district court and a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, in Philadelphia, ruled for the school district.

"There are no nuances to be discerned regarding the Holocaust. It is a historic fact," the 3rd Circuit court said in its April 22 decision in Ali v. Woodbridge Township School District. "That tragic event in human history along with the 9/11 terrorist attacks lie at the center of this matter."

Ali began work as a history teacher at Woodbridge High in September 2015, and by the following May reports were trickling up to the school administration that the teacher was offering unorthodox views about the Holocaust and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.