A trainee at Clifford Chance has embarrassed his firm by posting a 21 minute rant on YouTube seeking to explain the Paris murders.
Aysh Chaudhry spends his working day churning documents in CC's M&A dept and, it seems, his free time recording inflamatory videos. Saying that he is addressing the "events in Paris that have taken place over the last few days" he lambasts moderate Muslims for allowing their minds to be "colonised" and claims that Islam is superior to Western ideology. He suggests that these attacks might not have happened had the West not "killed our people and raped and pillaged our resources". And he repeatedly refers to his audience as "brothers and sisters" and to non-Muslims as "kuffars". All it needs is a wall hanging and a Kalashnikov.
Chaudhry (who interned at Slaughters, White & Case, Freshfields and BLP, all of whom will be thanking their lucky stars that this isn't their problem) pulled the video once Legal Cheek got wind of it. But by then the damage had been done. Clearly Choudhry is legally entitled to express these views, although it's hard to see how he can do so with a straight face while being employed by a law firm in the Little Satan.
CC generally comes down pretty hard of this sort of thing. Last year it disciplined a trainee for making a drunken remark about doing people over for money. But Chaudhry wasn't discussing anything to do with his job, so he appears to have escaped censure by the firm. A spokeswoman for the firm said that "the views expressed in this video are personal and not those of Clifford Chance. The firm is committed to establishing an inclusive culture where people with diverse backgrounds and views work effectively together and feel confident to develop their potential. We ask our people to at all times consider how their personal conduct and actions may affect those around them, their professional reputation and that of the firm."
However the firm's Paris office will be particularly displeased. One of its partners recently had to apologise after calling a trade unionist a jihadist and a terrorist. No doubt he'll find someone on his payroll recording this sort of video absolutely HILARIOUS...
* Not Aysh Chaudhry, obviously
Tip Off ROF
Aysh Chaudhry spends his working day churning documents in CC's M&A dept and, it seems, his free time recording inflamatory videos. Saying that he is addressing the "events in Paris that have taken place over the last few days" he lambasts moderate Muslims for allowing their minds to be "colonised" and claims that Islam is superior to Western ideology. He suggests that these attacks might not have happened had the West not "killed our people and raped and pillaged our resources". And he repeatedly refers to his audience as "brothers and sisters" and to non-Muslims as "kuffars". All it needs is a wall hanging and a Kalashnikov.
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How it didn't look* |
Chaudhry (who interned at Slaughters, White & Case, Freshfields and BLP, all of whom will be thanking their lucky stars that this isn't their problem) pulled the video once Legal Cheek got wind of it. But by then the damage had been done. Clearly Choudhry is legally entitled to express these views, although it's hard to see how he can do so with a straight face while being employed by a law firm in the Little Satan.
CC generally comes down pretty hard of this sort of thing. Last year it disciplined a trainee for making a drunken remark about doing people over for money. But Chaudhry wasn't discussing anything to do with his job, so he appears to have escaped censure by the firm. A spokeswoman for the firm said that "the views expressed in this video are personal and not those of Clifford Chance. The firm is committed to establishing an inclusive culture where people with diverse backgrounds and views work effectively together and feel confident to develop their potential. We ask our people to at all times consider how their personal conduct and actions may affect those around them, their professional reputation and that of the firm."
However the firm's Paris office will be particularly displeased. One of its partners recently had to apologise after calling a trade unionist a jihadist and a terrorist. No doubt he'll find someone on his payroll recording this sort of video absolutely HILARIOUS...
* Not Aysh Chaudhry, obviously
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Comments
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He attempts to explain the murder of 17 people by making glib and offensive comments about non-muslims. He also used an incredibly offensive slur.
He was also moronic enough to post it online. This is far worse than the previous CC trainee who was disciplined for being filmed saying something inappropriate when he was drunk.
Show him the door.
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A tough one for global firms to handle and raises the question: what really are a law firm's values?
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As for this pillock, wonder why they haven't fired him?
And RoF, why no credit to legalcheek for this scoop? Although legalcheek didn't name the trainee, they went for the much subtler approach of declaring they had agreed to keep him anonymous and then providing every detail necessary to google him immediately. RoF, you're losing your touch.
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As to CC, a gutless craven bunch. I know its hard to get rid of a trainee but if you cant do difficult then your place on our panel is unlikely to survive next years review. We prefer to instruct lawyers with backbone.
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Why should we take your word for it when you ask us not to take RoF's word for it? Surely if the video was not that bad it would not have been taken off. A guilty move if ever I've seen one.
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Yeah everyone really believes you're not a competitor's trainee at all, oh no.
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Aysh not only lambasts muslims who have apologised for the murders (which is correct in so far that it is insulting to ask an entire religion to apologise for the acts of some lunatics) BUT he also lambasts muslims who have condemned the murders. Now that is worrying. What is wrong and "un-Islamic" about condemning the murder of innocent people.
Yes, they were wrong in publishing the cartoons in my opinion, but this did not warrant death.
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2. He isn’t endorsing hate or violence and therefore has not doing anything illegal.
3. For those calling for him to be sacked: Firstly, please consider whether there is a legal and rational basis for his dismissal. Secondly, please think about how his dismissal would fall within the principles of Clifford Chance as per their comment on the article (which, by the way, is the same principles many international law firms should, and probably would, have).
4. For those debating his use of the word “kuffar” – think about the wider topic here as opposed to whether you are offended by the use of a word which was probably not used with racial intentions (I say probably not because, as a reasonable person, I think he is entitled some benefit of doubt).
5. Please focus your discussions, as intellectuals, on the wider topic instead of him as a person/employee of Clifford Chance. It has nothing to do with the message he is portraying. He could easily have been an employee at Freshfields, Linklaters, etc. or even at KPMG or Accenture. It is irrelevant.
6. For those wondering why the video was taken down – maybe he just didn’t want to face more of the ABUSE you are giving him. I do wonder whether people would be as interested in hearing the message if they read it in an article or if it was a radio broadcast. My guess is probably not.
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Yeah everyone really believes you're not a competitor's trainee at all, oh no. [/quote]
Competitor? I think they work at Bond Dickinson...
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In an Islamic state higher positions of governance would be reserved solely for muslims. Also the Jizya (non-muslim tax).
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Firstly, for all the rhetoric being pushed around regarding the importance of freedom of speech vis a vis the reaction this item has received, if anything, exposes the hypocrisy of the concept. The individual was expressing an opinion on an issue. The outrage shown by intellectually castrated opinions in response to the fact that this individual "dared" to have an alternative view on an issue clearly proves how selectively the the concept is applied.
Drawing you're conclusion on a nine second clip, of a 20+ minute video would naturally leave you missing the message. When you combine this with a default sceptic outlook, preconceived notions of hate, anger and negative emotion, you'll inevitably spurring out circular and illogical fallacies.
Moreover, to attack the profession of the individual, rather than address the message being conveyed (the hypocrisy of free speech) is unwarranted and had no relevance. The opinion was expressed in a private capacity, not in the name of a law firm. To equate ones career with inflammatory terms such as 'Islamist, jihadi and terrorist' I would argue is libellous, slanderous and indeed defamatory.
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There is no relationship between his views on the world and his ability to perform at work. However legalcheek and RoF have decided to create the connection in a cheap move to enhance their online readership and further their morally bankrupt agenda. All at the expense of an individual expressing his views within the framework of the law.
Absolutely no regard for how this could impact on this chaps career. Its sickening.
Surely people will see through this attention-seeking piece of nonsense.
Jog on Friday.
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Has he been arrested and taken in for questioning? Will there be a trial and then go to prison? No? Then it seems to me like this man has not has his right to freedom of speech violated in any way by those who grant that right. As a private citizen, he has every right to express his opinions about religion and events in France, as long as he doesn’t preach hate, which he clearly doesn’t in the video.
Nevertheless, as a trainee in a MC firm, which represents clients from all cultures and religions, he has a professional obligation to avoid exposing the firm to any controversy. He is of course free to say or think what he likes, but only in private settings where the reputation of his firm will not be jeopardized. YouTube is not a private setting.
Surely he can't stay. Imagine having to work with him knowing that all he sees in you is "Kuffar".
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"libellous, slanderous and indeed defamatory"
Really? All of those things? It rather undermines whatever you're trying to say if you don't understand the words. I do hope you're not a practising lawyer.
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The 'lambasting' point has been portrayed in such a way to make it sound like Muslims shouldn't condemn what happened. That's not what he said at all. He was merely stating that the attacks shouldn't be condemned just because you are Muslim. Which is correct. The attackers were not the same class of muslim as the rest of the world. I don't condemn paedophila because I'm human. I do it because it's sick. he was passionate but certainly not wrong.
As for the other question directed at me - when you are being abused in the press with publishers like legal cheek and roll on Friday trying to ruin your life, you tell me you wouldn't want to limit the unfair damage your reputation faces.
To the individual wondering why I'm more credible than ROF - Ive seen the source and they haven't. I'm just as impartial as the author. I think that as far as credibility goes, I win. Although it doesn't take much to beat ROF on that front.
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He seems to suggest that muslims should not condemn the attacks at all because this is the "un-Islamic" response. I agree with you that no-one should be asked to condemn such acts. But Aysh went further & was quite inflammatory in my opinion.
With regards to the video, the damage is done. If he was worried about being misquoted etc. then why not keep the full video up and make sure misquotations etc. are not possible. The fact that it has been removed smells of guilt.
You may have seen the source, but you are presenting a one-sided view on it. That has been made possible by the fact that the video has been removed.
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(He still is deluded however to believe in any God.
Islam is morally wrong and sexist to the core but that's another issue).
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How about, instead of sitting behind a screen trying to destroy someones career, we all grow up a little bit and to those that disagree with him, his name is up there, I'm very sure he wouldnt decline to have intellectual dialogue with you if you ask.
I do have to say, kudos to CC for having lawyers with a backbone and a voice.
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I have to say, it does him absolutely no favours to have created multiple accounts supporting himself. It is obvious. The posting style (complete with poor grammar and syntax) is obvious.
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It's not at all surprising to see the bunch calling for him to sacked when he has done nothing illegal. He's interned at top firms (Slaughters, White & Case, Freshfields, BLP) and landed a TC at CC - he's obviously incredibly bright and obviously going to be someone to compete with within the industry in the future. A prime candidate for insecure peers to want to knock out of the race it seems.
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Good on CC for keeping him, sure. It's not a hanging offence. But he should have been given a serious dressing down for airing his views in such an inflammatory and public way. As a poster above commented, YouTube isn't exactly a private conversation with friends.
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I've watched the video and Aysh not criticses muslims who have apologised for the murders (which is 100% correct in my opinion) BUT he also berates muslims who have condemned the murders. What is "un-Islamic" about condemning the murder of innocent people.
Can you be truthful and admit that he did indeed berate ordinary muslims for condemning the murders. This is why he derserves the boot!
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CC will cravenly duck the issue of course but if one of their trainees posted a video with a message of "I really hate niggers and pakis" you can bet they'd be out the door (and rightly so). It must be nice for this clown's colleagues to go to the office each day knowing one of their comrades hates them, hates their way of life and thinks they are doomed to burn in hell. Quite team building.
If I still worked their (I'm not a lawyer or anything or someone with an axe to grind against CC) I'd go round to his office and wring his stupid neck.
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CC won't sack him he might not be retained after training...but his career in the city isn't over. CC picks the best Trainees!
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Your career is toast mate. Go and practise with "your people", as you so inclusively describe them.
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What kind of a stupid comment is this Aysh? I didn't know leadership skills included being racist. It is SO obvious that it is you/one of your muslim mates. The fact that you said we're all apparantly "arrogant non-religious jealous scheming lawyers" again proves how intolerant people like you are. As if being a just being muslim is a one-way ticket to heaven and 90 virgins. Surely you have to be a GOOD person as well? Can a non-religious person not have morals also?
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No. We're kuffars. It makes no difference; hellfire will burn us whether we have "morals" or not. Duh.
Wot r u? Some sort of moron?
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18/01/2015 14:40
I have no idea who aysh is... but you cant deny the leadership skills can you? and how was his rant racist? why so quick to take offence?
this has nothing to do with morals... I can confirm Clifford chance are not sacking him he is being kept on. Unlucky guys. So many people on here working for Bond Dickinson. GL CC have the best clients.
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Moussa (Moshe) of the Banai Israel.
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(1) No - calling people "kuffar" is part of free speech..
(2) No - it would be "racist" of the "kuffar" to fire someone who says "kuffar".
(3) No - the "inclusive culture" at Clifford Chance should include the word "kuffar".
(4) No - providing Clifford Chance also let people use words like "n****r" and "s*nd j*ckey".
(5) Yes - of course they f*cking should, are you kidding?
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If you've not seen it - Do watch the film, 'Four Lions' - http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1479252249/ Exercise 'free speech' and laugh at idiots like this!
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If we start yielding in front of the Islamists - Like many elements of the US media recently did, e.g. refusing to show the cover page of 'Charlie Hebdo's post shooting edition - Then we are losing the war to protect free speech.
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Clearly, he doesn't just lack a sense of common decency. He doesn't have any balls or a spine either!
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