A Nepalese national, Mr. Dorje Gurung had been imprisoned in Qatar, where he had been working in a school as a Chemistry teacher, after complaints were filed against him by his 12 year old students. He allegedly “insulted Islam”, which is a big crime in the country. People who know him have sworn that he is a peace loving and good human being who is very tolerant of other cultures and religions. Additionally, he has taught in a number of international institutes in many countries and has numerous friends from all over the world.

Thousands of people signed a petition at change.org (https://www.change.org/petitions/government-of-qatar-release-dorje-gurung), requesting the government of Qatar to release him. Facebook (Free Dorje Gurung) and Twitter (FreeDorjeGurung) pages had also been created demanding his release. A post on the change.org petition page has quoted a news article from Doha News as saying, “(T)he seventh graders poked fun at his appearance, calling him “Jackie Chan,” a famous Chinese actor…. (T)he mocking again began in earnest while Gurung was in line for lunch. At first, he said the teasing was light-hearted, but then one student put his hand on Gurung’s shoulder and a finger in the teacher’s nose. At this point, Gurung grew agitated and said remarks to the effect of, how would you like to be stereotyped i.e. called a terrorist?”

From what is understood so far, he was a victim of racism at the school and he was merely trying to defend himself and teaching his students not to judge a person based on stereotypes.Latest news reports have revealed that he was finally released from prison on Sunday afternoon.