We know many Muslim Student Associations (MSAs) in campuses across Canada are looking for the right words to express their support for those in Gaza, to call for an end to the ongoing and indiscriminate bombardment of Palestinians there, and to make sure that all students on campus—regardless of ethnic or religious background (including Muslims)—can feel safe.
We have created a broad template below that Muslim students can rely on when talking to professors, administrations, or other students.
Talking Points:
- We agree that everyone has the right to live freely, in peace, safety and security.
- Attacks on innocent civilians – including those committed by terrorist groups on Jewish citizens – are disgusting and reprehensible. There is no justification for those acts. Those should be condemned in the strongest possible way.
- Many of our students are feeling unsafe on campus. The best way to make everyone safe on campus is by making sure we can talk to each other. No one should feel excluded, including if you are wearing a kaffiyah or the Palestinian flag to show solidarity against human rights abuses happening in the region.
- (If asked about the history of the conflict): Palestinians and especially Palestinians in Gaza have not been able to live freely since the siege was laid on Gaza by Israel in 2007. Nothing enters or exits Gaza except through Israel’s approval. Their food, electricity and water are all controlled by Israel. We as Canadians need to do more to support peace and justice to make sure there is peace for everyone, whether you are Muslim or Jewish or Christian or of no faith at all.
- (If the university has put out a statement that isolates Muslim/Arab students): The backlash caused by the attack has been enormous.
- A six-year-old Muslim child was killed in Chicago by someone apparently radicalized by the ongoing rhetoric. We have seen assaults, harassment, and slurs being used here in Canada. The recent statements made by [University name] fail to take into consideration the astounding suffering of the people inside Gaza, who continue to endure continuous bombing by Israeli forces. The death toll in Gaza has reached over 4,000, with many more injured. Over 1000 children have died. At no point did the university’s statement even acknowledge any sad reality. No civilian deserves to face collective punishment.
- Instead, Muslims and Palestinians have been made to feel targeted, particularly when asked to condemn terrorists abroad, as if their identities and support for the safety and wellbeing of civilians in Palestine are somehow indicative of hidden pro-terrorist sentiments. Such a conflation is Islamophobic and reminiscent of the terrifying anti-Muslim sentiment in the days after 9/11.
- I am calling on all school faculty, administrators, staff, and leadership to ensure a welcoming and safe environment for all students.
- I urge you to be more thoughtful in your understanding of the sad situation and crisis to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all students, faculty, and staff.
- “No electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything is closed. We are fighting human animals, and we act accordingly.” This promise, from Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, is a direct call for mass killing and forced removal of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes.
- The only thing we need to do now is work towards peace.
- The Muslim community is also facing a huge upsurge of Islamophobia – we need everyone to work together to end hate and stereotypes against our community.