QUMSA Statements

September 22, 2008Statment 1
September 25, 2008Statment 2
September 27, 2008Statment 3
October 3, 2008Statement 4
October 29, 2008Statement 5
November 6, 2008Campus Security Alert

QUMSA Statments

Between the hours of 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., a break in occurred in rm. 232 of the JDUC on the day of Saturday, September 20th, 2008. A door panel was broken through and the intruder was able to unlock the door through the panel. Upon entering the room, the intruder looked through the black filing cabinet as well as removing certain property that belonged to QUMSA. Alhumdulillah, no one was present in the musalla at the time the break in occurred and therefore no one was put at risk of harm. The property is replaceable, but our biggest concern was for the safety of our members, particularly if they were present in rm. 231 at the time. If anyone has any details pertaining to suspicious activities around that time and day near the musalla, please call Campus Security at 613-533-6733. Between the hours of 11:30 p.m. Sunday, September 21st, and 8:30 a.m. of Monday, September 22nd, a person(s) vandalised a sign indicating the location of the club space for QUMSA. The message was hateful and incites violence against Muslims. It has been reported to the Campus Security Services as well as to the Kingston Police, both of whom were able to take immediate action and have been of great help thus far. PRACTICAL SAFETY MEASURES TO BE IMPLEMENTED IMMEDIATELY
  • Absolutely do not leave any personal belongings in the musalla unattended at any time. QUMSA cannot be held responsible if people leave behind any valuable possessions that go missing. We will do our best to facilitate a search for the possessions, but we are not liable for the compensation of said valuables.
  • Absolutely do not leave any money in the musalla. For donations, please consult any QUMSA Exec member and they will direct you to the proper venues.
  • Absolutely do not leave the musalla open and unattended. If there are no brothers present in the musalla, please close and lock the windows and doors of the brothers’ side. If there are no sisters present, please close and lock the windows and doors of the sisters’ side. There is no expectation to observe the coming and going of members on either side of the musalla. Please use reasonable judgement when closing up.
  • If people are planning to stay in the musalla past the regular prayer hours, please notify any QUMSA Exec member and they will take the appropriate steps to ensure a safe stay.
  • If people are staying alone, past the prayer hours, please notify Campus Security Services (613-533-6111) and notify them of your current situation. They will send someone every once in a while to check up on you. When leaving, please notify the Campus Security, follow their instructions, and then proceed to lock up.
    • Insha’Allah, if everyone can follow these steps, we can ensure a certain level of security and comfort to all of our members. QUMSA has taken immediate action on these incidents and has launched a task force in order to coordinate with local authorities and groups about an appropriate course of action. We are also working hard with different bodies within the university to ensure the complete safety of our members. The solidarity of our members is absolutely crucial in such incidents, and we should all work together towards providing a better environment not just for all current members, but any potential members as well. If there are any temporary inconvenient steps taken by the Exec, then it is for the general good of all the members. Kindly check your emails for follow up messages regarding this topic.

    In light of recent, hateful anti-Muslim acts including defacement of posters, threats, and harassment of hijab-wearing women, we felt it wholly necessary to voice our profound concern and unequivocal condemnation of manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. We would like to express our keen solidarity with the greater Muslim community at this troubling time. When hatred of Muslims and other minority groups is allowed to flourish, our collective human rights are called into question. Racism in any form is an affront to the dignity of all humankind. We call upon all members of the Queen's community including faculty, staff, and students to combat ignorance and hatred through education and open dialogue. Some of these upcoming opportunities are listed below:

    Date: Tuesday October 7, 2008, 19:00 - 21:00
    Title: Diversity in Islam
    Speaker: Imam Yasin Dwyer
    Location: Wilson Room, Kingston's Public Library, 130 Johnson Street

    Date: Wednesday October 22 2008, 19:00 - 21:00
    Title: Creativity in the Medical Sciences during Medieval Islamic Times
    Speaker: Dr. Ingrid Heymeyer
    Location: Dupuis Auditorium, Queen's Campus

    Sponsored by: Office of Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Jason Laker
    There has been another recent incident of harassment that has occurred against one of our QUMSA members. Until we finish experiencing this Homecoming weekend, we will only be opening the musalla for prayers. Please come approximately 10 minutes before the iqamah times and we strongly encourage everyone to leave as soon as they have completed their prayers. We ask all sisters who will be attending taraweeh prayers late at night, to not come or leave alone. If necessary, rides will be arranged. Please call the WalkHome Service (613) 533-9255, or (613) 533 6111 after 3 a.m. As well, you may contact any QUMSA Exec member. We ask that you please bear this with pateience. Official statement to be issued soon.
    On Sunday 21st, at 10:35 PM, the Queens Muslim Student Association was subject to a sever hate incident inciting violence against Muslims. The QUMSA sign board indicating the location of the club on the second floor of JDUC, was vandalized with "Queens Muslims Students Should Die".

    This incident was preceded by a massive break-in to the QUMSA office on Saturday 20th, sometime between 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM, when the members were busy breaking their fast in the last 10 nights of the Holy month of Ramdan. The office was thoroughly searched, and the stolen properties are approximated as $1000 dollars, which are reserved for charitable activities. The property is replaceable, and our biggest concern is the safety of our members.

    These two incidents have been followed by a series of shameful harassments to some of our female members, clearly indicating racial and religious messages. The latest was documented on October 2, with a female student who was dreadfully harassed by a driver, and is still suffering from a sever shock. It was also reported in the Queens Journal, an incident where a female faculty member was slowly approached and shouted at: "Terrorist and Towel Head". A full list of these incidents is documented in our "Islamophobia Watch" at: QUMSA Islamophobia Watch

    As a response, QUMSA formed a Task Force to deal with the consequences of these incidents. The objectives of the task force is to implement security measures for the safety of the members, raise awareness, and organize the support. QUMSA hereby calls our Queens Community and the greater Kingston community to:

    1- Visit our website at: qumsa.net, and support our campaign "Drive for a Hate-free Campus", by endorsing our statement at: QUMSA Endorsement Form
    2- Report to the Kingston Police, campus security or QUMSA (Contact Us) any details pertaining any suspicious activities related to the recent incidents.
    3- If you have experienced/witnessed any islamophobic/racial incident, to report to us by our online form: Report an Incident, or by contacting any of our QUMSA executives. All communication will be confidential.
    4- Help spreading the campaign by speaking to your friends, emailing your contacts and encouraging everyone to endorse the campaign statement.

    The solidarity and support of our Queens community is very crucial to all of us in such critical time. Every voice, email, endorsement and discussion makes a difference. We hope to see an end to these activities which are strange to our campus, and we would like to "Drive together for a Hate-free Campus".

    QUMSA TaskForce
    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
    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.