“I have made a mistakeâ€: Prof. Annette Beck-Sicking
AB Wire
NEW DELHI: A German professor from the University of Leipzig who refused to grant an Indian student an internship on the grounds of his home country’s “rape problem” has issued a formal apology via the German embassy here.
“I have made a mistake,” Professor Annette Beck-Sickinger said in a statement that was posted on the embassy’s website. “I sincerely apologize to everyone whose feelings I have hurt.”
“Unfortunately I don’t accept any Indian male students for internships,” read the opening of Beck-Sickinger’s rejection email. “We hear a lot about the rape problem in India which I cannot support,” she continued. “I have many female students in my group, so this attitude is something I cannot support.â€
After the email went viral on Sunday, prompting outrage from all corners of the internet, Germany’s ambassador to India sent Beck-Sickinger a sternly worded letter.
“Let me make it clear at the outset that I strongly object to this,” wrote Ambassador Michael Steiner. “Your oversimplifying and discriminating generalization is an offense to these women and men ardently committed to furthering women empowerment in India; and it is an offense to millions of law-abiding, tolerant, open-minded and hard-working Indians.”
He also lauded India’s “lively, honest, sustained, and very healthy public debate” around sexual violence, and the government’s commitment to dealing with the problem, which is by no means an issue that should be overlooked.
“Let’s be clear: India is not a country of rapists,” Steiner continues. “I would encourage you to learn more about the diverse, dynamic and fascinating country and the many welcoming and open-minded people of India so that you could correct a simplistic image, which — in my opinion — is particularly unsuitable for a professor and teacher.”
The Indian public consciousness is still raw after the mob lynching of an accused rapist last week, which occurred just a few days after the government banned a British documentary about the infamously fatal New Delhi gang-rape case of 2012. The film features interviews with one of the convicted rapists as well as two defense lawyers belittling the horrendous crime and making pointedly sexist remarks.