Complaints over ‘hareem’ remark
Complaints have been made to the Law Society after a prominent law firm boss said he always fancied ‘‘my own hareem’’.
Graeme Todd, of Queenstown firm Todd & Walker, has since removed the Facebook comment but not before it was screen-grabbed and sent to The Press. Todd has recently been in the news as the lawyer for disgraced TV host Matt Lauer and his stoush over public access to his high country station.
Todd said he could not comment as he had been told a complaint had been made to the Law Society but did say he referred to a ‘‘hareem’’ rather than a ‘‘harem’’ and also that he was not referring to his employees.
The comment was made beneath a photograph of what are thought to be his staff, who are largely female.
He later apologised on Facebook for the ‘‘off the cuff’’ comment: ‘‘I apologise if I inadvertently caused offence to anyone including my staff’’.
‘‘We attract excellent talented lawyers due to the safe caring and supportive environment we offer,’’ he said.
Associate Professor Stephen Epstein, from Victoria University’s School of Languages and Cultures, said ‘‘harem’’ and ‘‘hareem’’ were different English spellings or pronunciations that ultimately derive from the Arabic word harı¯m.
‘‘The word comes from the same Arabic root that gives us the word haram (‘‘what is forbidden’’), as opposed to halal.’’
Farah Khan, a Muslim lawyer in Auckland, believed Todd’s comment was silly and indicative of language often used in the legal profession but it was still wrong.
The likes of young women lawyers would read the comments yet not know who to complain to for fear of career repercussions, she said.
To #Metoo blogger Zoe Lawton, the harem vs hareem argument was a pathetic and semantic point.
His comment remained sexist and offensive ‘‘because he’s bragging about his female staff like they are all his wives or concubines’’.
Yesterday, Lawton filed a complaint to the Law Society – thought to be separate from that mentioned by Todd – about the ‘‘derogatory and sexist remarks’’.
‘‘Mr Todd’s remarks were brought to my attention by several women in the legal profession who had read the remarks online and found them to be sexist and derogatory.
‘‘These women felt unable to speak out publicly about Mr Todd and be named in this complaint because of the potential ramifications to their careers. I am therefore making this complaint on their behalf.
‘‘I also share their views and personally find Mr Todd’s remarks to be sexist and derogatory.’’
The remarks did not meet the threshold for sexual harassment under the Human Rights Act, Lawton said, but she urged the Law Society to consider how it dealt with such matters.
Todd & Walker is a signatory to the Law Society’s gender equality charter, which is described as a ‘‘set of commitments aimed at improving the retention and advancement of women lawyers’’.
A Law Society spokesman said rules mean it could not comment on whether it had received a complaint or whether it would investigate.