Zero tolerance for racists
Queen's Gazzte, November 24, 2008
In the last few months, numerous racist attacks have targeted Muslims
at Queen’s. Among them were graffiti calling for the death of all
Muslims, and break-ins to the Queen’s Muslim Student Association
(QUMSA), resulting – as Principal Tom Williams noted in a
letter to our community – in the loss of a sense of safety for Muslims
on campus. Principal Williams urged a respectful exchange of
ideas over difference. Dean Alistair MacLean similarly discussed the responsibility
of dominant groups to be sensitive to the vulnerabilities of
minority groups. Both letters appealed for adherence to Canadian
values of inclusiveness and diversity, but neither Principal Williams
nor Dean MacLean committed the university to a zero tolerance policy
towards the perpetrators of such incidents.
These incidents are not new to Queen’s and have been studied by
the comprehensive Report on Race Relations of the Principal’s Advisory
Committee (1991), and by the independent Henry Report (2006),
which offered a thorough overview as well as practical suggestions to
combat racism and the Culture of Whiteness at Queen’s. Only few of
the recommendations of the Henry Report were adopted, and little has changed.
Read Full Article Here
By Dorit Naaman
Film and Media Studies
on behalf of the Queen’s Coalition of Anti Racist Faculty (QCARF)
Open letter from Barrington Walker
November 17, 2008
Dear Members of Queen's Muslim Community,
A number of key strategies have emerged in the wake of a highly successful meeting which was held on November 13, 2008 amongst members of the Principal's Office,the Office of the V.P. Academic, Dr. Mohamed Bayoumi, Dr. Hossam Hassanein and Dr. Mona Rahman. The university has decided to formalize a committee of concerned students, the central administration, and the Islamic Society of Kingston in order to better forge a climate of safety and respect for Muslim students who have recently been the targets of Islamophobic incidents on campus. Toward that end, Queen's will also give students an opportunity to voice their concerns about issues of campus safety in an open discussion forum. At its highest level, Queen's administration is deeply committed to supporting these issues.
Sincerely,
Barrington Walker,
Diversity Advisor to the Vice Principal (Academic)
Associate Professor of History and Diversity Advisor to the Vice Principal Academic
Queen's University
Open letter to Queens Administration
(Canadian Muslims Student Associations)
November 12, 2008
Dear Principal Williams, Vice-Principal Deane and Dean Laker,
We write this letter to you because we cannot imagine that anyone, particularly those in a university-setting, should fear persecution based on race, religion or creed. The multiple instances of harassment of students wearing head-scarves, the inscription of “Queen’s University Muslims Should Die” onto QUMSA’s space and the most recent attempted break-in are but a few examples of hostility toward the Queen’s Muslim community. We, the undersigned Muslim students and Muslim leaders, urge Queen’s to take immediate steps to reassert its esteemed status as an institution at which all students can strive for intellectual, academic and personal excellence, free of intolerance.
Read Full Letter Here.
Association des Étudiants Musulmans de l’Université de Montréal
Association des Étudiants Musulmans de l’Université de Québec à Montréal
Association des Étudiant(e)s Musulman(e)s de l’Université Laval
Maritime Muslim Students’ Association
Muslim Students’ Association at the University of Manitoba
Muslim Students’ Association of Concordia University
Muslim Students’ Association of McGill University
Muslim Students’ Association of the University of Windsor
Muslim Students’ Association of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Ryerson Muslim Students’ Association
Simon Fraser University Muslim Students’ Association
South Western Ontario Muslim Students’ Association
University of Calgary Muslim Students’ Association
University of New Brunswick, Fredericton - Muslim Students’ Association
University of Waterloo Muslim Students’ Association
University of Western Ontario Muslim Students’ Association
York Muslim Students’ Association
Read Full Letter Here.
Campus Security Alert
October 10, 2008 - Hate Incidents Reported
Over the past few weeks, Campus Security has received several reports of hate activity toward members of the local Muslim community.
These incidents, reported to have taken place both on and off campus, have included anti-Islamic vandalism, property destruction, theft, verbal harassment, intimidation and violent threats.
Members of the Queen’s community are asked to be on alert for hateful activity directed toward Muslims and/or other identifiable groups. Campus Security encourages people to be mindful of their personal safety and to report all incidents of hateful acts.
What To Do If You Are The Target of a Hateful Act
Personal Abuse/Violence
· Get yourself to safety – if necessary, call/ask for help. If you are on campus and concerned for your safety, contact Campus Security at (613) 533-6111 right away. If you are off-campus and concerned for your safety, contact Kingston Police at (613) 549-4660.
· Try to remember as much as you can about the perpetrator(s) – height, skin colour, clothing, distinguishing features, vehicle makes/models/licence plate numbers, etc.
· Immediately document all you remember about the situation – date, time, place, physical descriptions and offensive behavior.
· As soon as possible, report your concerns to Kingston Police and Queen’s Campus Security .
Hate Material (e.g. hate literature/graffiti)
· Remove the offensive material if possible, but DON’T THROW IT AWAY.
· If the offensive material has been emailed to you, keep an electronic copy of the message as well as a print-out – forward the message to stopit@queensu.ca
· Keep a written or photographic record of hate propaganda that can’t be removed, such as graffiti. If you don’t have a camera, call Campus Security at (613) 533-6111; they will attend and take a picture.
· If you find hate material off campus, contact the Hate Crimes Unit of the Kingston Police at (613) 549-4660. If the material was found in a store or building, let the owner know that the material was distributed on their property.
Statement 5
October 29, 2008
In response to the Journal article "Racism on the Web" and the subsequent comments, QUMSA would like to declare the following:
(1) QUMSA is an AMS ratified club that represents Muslim students at Queen's. QUMSA is administered by an elected executive board who reflect the official voice of QUMSA. Any statement or comments issued by individual(s) other than the executives, or the Islamophobia Taskforce, do not represent QUMSA's official stance.
(2) QUMSA is aware and deeply alarmed of the comments of Mr. Mantle, ASUS president.
(3) QUMSA has not been directly involved in bringing attention to Mr. Mantle's comments. The Journal's interview with the External Liaison Safiah Chowdhury regarding the second break-in to our Clubspace was held independently and no correlation was made to Mr. Mantle's comments.
(4) QUMSA believes that it is the responsibility of the University administration and AMS to deal with this issue and take the necessary measures.
(5) QUMSA stands against all forms of discrimination/racism and condemns such behaviour in the strongest terms. This includes all the fallacious and hateful comments posted by users in the comments section of the Journal article.
(6) QUMSA is currently overburdened by the consequences of the second attempted break-in and the Islamophobic incidents that have persisted since the beginning of this school year. In QUMSA's 40 year history, we have never had to lock down our Prayer Room. However, for the second time in a month, access to our Prayer Room has been restricted due to grave security concerns. Our female members continue to be harassed, with the latest incident taking place on the 23rd of this month. The main priority of QUMSA at this stage is the safety of our members and providing them the necessary support.
(7) QUMSA has received multiple hateful comments through our online contact form, allegedly from various student leaders. QUMSA was able to confirm that these comments were sent by impostors, and condemns this irresponsible and ridiculous behaviour. We would like to ensure everyone that our strong ties with these diverse groups and their respective student leaders would not be affected by such behaviour.
(8) QUMSA would like to thank all those who have expressed their sincere solidarity and support, which means a great deal to our members at this trying time.
QUMSA Executives
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