Prof. sues colleague for alleged libel

NEW YORK, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A City University of New York professor is suing a colleague who criticized her for allegedly trying to "recruit terrorists" for teaching positions.

Susan O'Malley claims in her lawsuit that professor emeritus Sharad Karkhanis defamed her by lobbing accusations that she has an "obsession with finding jobs for terrorists" in recent issues of a newsletter he mails to faculty members of the city university system, the New York Post reported Monday.

Karkhanis wrote on the topic of O'Malley's efforts to find employment in CUNY for convicted activist lawyer Lynne Stewart's co-defendant, Mohammed Yousry, and former Weather Underground member Susan Rosenberg.

"Has Queen O'Malley ever made a 'Job Wanted' announcement like this for a non-convicted, non-violent, peace-loving American educator for a job in CUNY?" he wrote. "Why does she prefer convicted terrorists bent on harming our people and our nation over peace-loving Americans?"

Karkhanis wrote O'Malley "is recruiting naive ... faculty into her Qaida-Camp to infiltrate ... Personnel and Budget Committees in her mission -- to recruit terrorists in CUNY. Given the opportunity, she will bring in all her indicted, convicted and freed-on-bail terrorist-friends."

The suit claims Karkhanis' accusations are libelous.