Adam’s Case: Boon and Bane [Archives:2000/23/Focus]

By: Mohammed Hatem Al-Qadhi,
Managing Editor, Yemen Times
The serial murders of the Sudanese national, Mohammed Adam Omar has sent shock waves down the spine of all the Yemeni people since it is the first time the Yemeni people go through such horrifying incident. The murder reveals the crisis of human civilization. We are considered civilized and with noble manners. The morgue crime is, however, unthinkable since it occurred inside one of the most profound institutions of civilization that is university. If it had taken place somewhere else in the jungles of Africa, for instance, it would have been understandable. This clearly shows the cannibality and animalistic passions of human beings which have been demonstrated by Mohammed Adem.
In fact, this unbelievable horror that took place at the morgue room in the Medicine college has created ripples in the minds of the people and raised a lot of question marks about the magnitude of the crime and revealed some points to ponder and highlight.

1) University Administration:
The university board and particularly that of the medicine college should be held accountable for the morgue crime. They have left the morgue to Adam without any concern for the corpses. Didn’t the dean visit the morgue during all these years and check what was going on?
Adam was accused off taking bribes from students and after the investigation that was proved true.
The university statement regarding the morgue crime said that Adam was fired of his job. If so, why did he continue working even after that?
Why did they preserve Adam in his job for such a long period of time? Isn’t there any Yemeni morgue specialist? I doubt! Or is a part of the camping exercised by some lobbyists in our universities against the employment of Yemenis?
Again, when the Iraqi student, Zainab disappeared, the dean dealt with Zainab’s mother’s insistence to get Adam investigate the incident in a very irresponsible way. Moreover, he kicked the mother out of his office and said that he could not be held responsible for 5000 students. What a curse?, What is his business then? He could have been instrumental in disclosing the killer. As an educator , a physician, and above all a human being he should have consoled the Iraqi lady and extended his best help to her.

2) Scare-crow Security:
The crime has also revealed the irresponsibility of our security men, particularly that of the college and of the Criminal Investigation Department of the capital, Sana’a. The college security men are also responsible since they let Adam come to the morgue at any time without even suspecting his intentions. After the disappearance of Zainab, her mother directly accused Adam. Again the college security did not suspect Adam at all. They busied themselves in poking their nose in students’ affairs, teasing them at the gate and disturbing every male and female students sitting and studying together. Zainab mother also filed more than 10 complaints but they disappeared in thin air. The security of the capital dealt with the issue in a very irresponsible way. The Iraqi mother has been trying very hard for more than 6 months to convince the security and the college administration to check the morgue but to no avail. But before that and at the time of disappearance of the victims, we contacted the people in charge in the Ministry of Interior but their answer was that such girls elope with some men and that their families should look for them in prostitution centers. But now every
thing is disclosed and the thought to be as prostitutes were innocent and victims of irresponsibility. Paradoxically, the official media talk about the trial of Adam as a case of the Iraqi victim’s family against Adam, forgetting the other victims which he confessed of killing. The problem has assumed further dangerous dimensions. The case is not of Adam and Zainab’s family alone and the other victims. Rather, it is of a whole generation, of thousands of students against Adam and his accomplices whose identity should be disclosed.
Adam could not, surely, have done all these crimes all alone. The other point is that most of the families and girl students have serious thoughts about the faculty of Medicine. Parents used not to worry when they knew their daughters were in the university. They used to think that it is as safe as their houses. But this feeling is no more there. Moreover, some parents might think of asking their daughters to give up studying. Who would be responsible for such a development?
Adam should not be sentenced to death accomplices are held accountable and brought to justice. Students and public opinion should continue pressuring the government to do that.The boon of this crime is that it disclosed the perversions and corruption inside the university and the security offices and the indifference of its employees.

3- The Sudanese Community in Yemen
Another point relates to the Sudanese community in Yemen. Sudanese people are well-respected by Yemenis. But this heinous crime of Adam tarnished this image since the killer is a Sudanese. This is natural. But this feeling has equally disturbed the Sudanese people in Yemen. However, I am sure the Yemenis will not have any prejudice against the Sudanese people in Yemen as they are not to be blamed for Adam’s crimes. Moreover, they released a statement condemning the crime. But the media can be instrumental in this regard. It should explain to the people that the Sudanese can not be taken to task for what Adam did.
Finally we should say that other Yemeni universities are plagued by similar problems that jeopardize the future of university education. Such problems relate corruption, certificates forging (falsification, appointment of doctors on the basis of their political affiliation and other foul means of such stuff like nepotism, favoritism, etc.
Some doctors misuse their noble profession and exploit the desperate need of the female students in particular to pass exams and force them in to illicit relationships. Some also sell question papers to students or give them in return of any “service”. This is true and some teachers have been deported to their countries because of this. Such things are no much less dangerous than the crimes of Adam.
Well, let’s keep our fingers crossed with the hope that the crime of Adam will wake up our officials to the danger facing our university education and hence force them to plan to breathe a new life to these institutions for there will not be any future for our nation unless we have a strong and well-structured development oriented education. And to realize this we should start fighting against the perversion and corruption in our universities. In short, a real revolution in our universities should be conducted now.

——
[archive-e:23-v:2000-y:2000-d:2000-06-05-p:./2000/iss23/focus.htm]