JEDDAH, 14 March — Dr. Ali Al-Murshid, head of the Presidency of Girls’ Education, has said he was ready to face dismissal by the authorities if the committee set up to investigate the Makkah school fire finds him personally responsible for the tragedy.
“We are an Islamic country where the Shariah rules. With regard to my sacking, I am ready for it. The law will be applied to all those who are found guilty,” Murshid told Okaz daily. He was reacting to calls for his resignation in the local press.
However, Al-Yaum newspaper quoted Abdul Aziz Al-Mishaal, undersecretary for executive affairs at the presidency, as saying that Murshid had no immediate plans to resign of his own accord..
“Murshid has not discussed the subject of resignation at all, because the presidency feels it is not responsible for the incident,” Mishaal said.
He admitted that some of the buildings rented by the presidency did not satisfy safety conditions and requirements. “But this is ultimately the responsibility of the education department, which rented the buildings,” he said.
