Media Watch

Various members of the Queen’s community were asked to discuss their views on Jacob Mantle’s comment, his apology, other instances of Islamophobia on campus and the Journal’s coverage of the issues. Queen’s University Muslim Association (QUMSA) co-chair Isra Rafiq, ArtSci ’09, said Mantle’s status as a student leader doesn’t make his statement any more hurtful.

“If it’s any type of discriminatory act, I’d hope for a similar reaction no matter who it is. The fact that he is a student leader does signify that he is representing a voice of many people. That’s where there is a difference.”

Rafiq said she acknowledges Mantle’s public apology, but does not feel as though it was given in an appropriate manner.

“I’m glad that a step was taken. However, I was deeply concerned and alarmed when I realized that he required a bit of a push to get to that point and he did hesitate to do it.”

Rafiq said she feels the status of Mantle’s presidency should be in the hands of university and student government. Read Full Article here

At last night’s AMS Assembly, Jacob Mantle’s future as ASUS president was discussed.

The discussion occurred in response to a discriminatory comment Mantle posted on a friend’s Facebook wall in response to a photo of two girls wearing scarves and sunglasses, saying “I like your Taliban picture.”

Tensions rose as people spoke on both sides of the issue debating whether or not Mantle should resign. Speakers in the heated discussion included AMS assembly members, External Liaison of Queen’s University Muslim Students’ Association Safiah Chowdhury, Co-ordinator of Queen’s Coalition Against Racial and Ethnic Discrimination Aruna Zehra Boodram and Co-ordinator for the Ontario Public Interest Research Group Sean Haberele. Read Full Article here

Within the first month of this Fall semester, the strong presence of Islamophobia on campus was unmistakable, underscored by several hateful anti-Muslim acts. These acts included the defacement of posters, death threats, and the harassment of several Muslim women in Hijab. In light of this, the Queen's University Muslim Students' Association, with the support of the Society of Professional and Graduate Students, has launched a campaign for a hatefree campus.

Read Full Article here

At AMS Assembly last night AMS Council called for the resignation of ASUS President Jacob Mantle. The request was made in light of comments he made on a friend’s Facebook page.

Underneath a picture of two girls wearing scarves around their heads, Mantle wrote, “I like your Taliban picture.”

Mantle said he was hesitant to issue a public apology at first. He later changed his mind and issued a formal apology, saying the comment “does not in any way reflect [his] beliefs, nor those of [ASUS].”

Mantle must resign as ASUS president for his racist comment, regardless of whether he meant for it to be seen by anyone other than his friend; the view he iterates remains equally discriminatory in both the private and public spheres.

He was elected to represent a diverse student body and his insensitivity towards some of the students he represents shows he is unfit to continue in his role.

It’s disappointing that Mantle seems to be sorrier he was found out than he is for making the comment in the first place. Read full article here.

ASUS President Jacob Mantle, ArtSci ’10, has issued an apology regarding a comment he made on a friend’s Facebook wall. The picture Mantle commented on showed two girls wearing headscarves.

The comment, “I like your Taliban picture,” was removed last week, he said. “It was an inappropriate joke which was off-colour,” he said. “It was a disrespectful comment.”

Mantle said he was contacted by AMS President Talia Radcliffe who notified him of the offensive nature of the comment.

Read full article here.

I am prompted to write to you in response to a spate of anti-Muslim incidents which have occurred on and off campus this term, as well as some incidents of verbal and physical confrontation. I know that these have led to significant concerns for their safety and well-being among some members of the Queen's community, and to tensions of various sorts across the campus. In light of these things, I believe that it is crucial to reiterate the values and the standards of behaviour we expect of ourselves.

Like the rest of Canada, Queen's is becoming increasingly diverse along a number of dimensions, including race, language, religion, ethnicity and value systems, among others. This growth in diversity will continue, and we should celebrate it. However, as we have seen in the past, change is often slow and uneven, and the perceptions of different groups are sometimes at odds. In particular, what might be invisible to a member of a majority can be truly frightening or painful to a member of a minority.

In this situation, our core values become even more important: we must respect and care for all members of our community; we must celebrate our differences and learn from them, while at the same time taking comfort in our common humanity; we must be sensitive to what we don't know and willing to learn; we must recognize our shortcomings and resolve to move beyond them; we must help others to learn in a spirit of cooperation. We must also be conscious of the fact that, compared to many on this planet, we live a privileged existence. Given this, it is our responsibility to work toward a campus and a world where no one need feel threatened or afraid.

A university is built on the twin values of free speech and respect for ideas. Without debate and the free exchange of ideas, we fail to live up to our mission as a university. But without trust, tolerance and mutual respect, we cannot engage in the vigorous debate that should be our hallmark. In other words, we will often disagree in our ideas, but we must always first respect those around us. We cannot tolerate verbal or physical aggression or threats.

Like other social entities, universities move forward and improve because their members, both individually and collectively, have made special efforts to make themselves, and us, better. This remains true always, even in times of stress. I call on all members of the Queen's community to commit yourselves, by your words and deeds, to maintaining Queen's as a community characterized by respect, care and thoughtful debate.

Sincerely,