The biggest thing on the radar of secular-minded people in Ontario right now is this: http://www.cfsontario.ca/mediareleaselinks/TaskForce-Final.Report-FINAL.pdf. Admittedly, said radar is not very large, but when it detects something of this magnitude, lights and sirens go off. Have you ever heard a good siren? That should sum up the storm of controversy this document is causing at the moment.
For those who don’t have the patience to read through a document of this length, I’ll explain. The Canadian Federation of Students has produced a report on the “needs” of Muslim students in Ontario (obviously, my quotations). Said “needs” seem bizarre and unnecessary to me. For example: we should increase flexibility for Muslim students handing in assignments that might interfere with Friday prayer or other holidays. As one student said, “It’s highly stressful to see that you have to go up to the professor and try to explain to him. Some people just don’t want to go through the whole hassle of dealing with having an examination on a holiday.” I’m sorry, but it’s just too bad. I have no problems with accommodation but when you say that an entire group of people is excused from academic obligations for a certain day, where do you draw the line? Would you need proof that you were Muslim? Recite the Koran? Hey, I’d do it if it meant not having to go to class Fridays.
Later, a suggestion that it is unfair that Muslim women should be forced to pay for athletic centres that they can’t use. How about the unfairness of making non-religious students pay for a “multifaith” centre that they can’t use? In fact, the multifaith centre project leader at the University of Toronto is on record saying “why would I ask an atheist for advice about the centre?”
Last on my parade of errors is the concern with alcohol. One student explained the “problem”: “There are lots of social events in my programme. Unfortunately, many like ‘meet your professor’ tend to be wine and cheeses. Muslims shouldn’t be at these events, but then they miss out on the experience of connecting with their teachers and learning outside of the classroom.”
I’m sorry, I must be missing something. Where is the connection between having alcohol available and being forced to drink it? Why can’t you come to an event with alcohol and just not drink? Most orientation events don’t even have alcohol available anyway — if they do, it’s usually not official or condoned.
Rest assured, a task force on the needs of non-religious students will soon be published. Not to mention one on the needs of Christian students, Jewish students, Sikh students, Hindu students, feminist students, communist students, Zionist students, Pastafarian students, and every damn group you can possibly think of.
This is not about Islamophobia, it’s about making accommodations that don’t have any place within a secular institution like a university. I suspect I will be accused of “hating Islam”, when I do not. I hate injustice.
Really, I should be thanking the CFS. They’ve set the precedent — if they want to know the needs of minority students on campus, then they’re sure as hell going to hear about them.
