Re: Uni of TO - Racial comments/action against Muslims
I came across the following on CAIR-CAN’s website:
The Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) today welcomes the statement by University of Toronto President David Naylor against hate at the university. CAIR-CAN says the statement is an important first step in combating the spread of hate after a series of alarming incidents on the school’s campus.
“The University will not tolerate actions that appear to rise to the level of a hate crime, or for that matter, any criminal act,” says the statement by President Naylor. “Any action undertaken for the sole purpose of causing distress to other members of the University of Toronto undermines the basic purpose of this learning community. Our purpose is to advance knowledge through teaching and research in an environment of inclusiveness and respect. Intolerance is a destructive distraction from that goal. It thus has no moral place at this University, even when expressed through means that are protected by the principle of free expression.”
The statement was released after a series of racist and Islamophobic incidents at the university. The latest attack saw a hit-and-run against an African-Canadian Muslim student perpetrated by a man who had been yelling racial slurs. Prior incidents saw a Muslim student being pushed and called a terrorist, while other students say eggs were thrown at them. Students also complained to CAIR-CAN that Islamophobic flyers were being distributed on campus. For more information on the incidents, please see: http://www.caircan.ca/itn_more.php?id=2393_0_2_0_C
In a statement released today, CAIR-CAN said:
“CAIR-CAN welcomes the statement by University of Toronto President David Naylor against the recent hate attacks on the university campus. President Naylor’s statement was an important first step in challenging the spread of hate and indicating that it will not be tolerated at the University of Toronto. We hope that the university will continue to work closely with its students to combat hate and ensure their safety.”
Ref : http://www.caircan.ca/itn_more.php?id=2400_0_2_0_M
More needs to be done than mere lip service. We’ll have to wait and see if UofT actually takes any steps to curb such hate crime against Islam and Muslims.