Guest speaker accused of Islamophobic remarks sparks response, calls for action
graphic / Dallin Chicoine / staff
Gillian Brown and Colton McKillop, staff Haneen Nakhleh and Belkis Elmoudi attended Bassem Eid’s talk on campus last Monday. Before even walking into the room, they felt unwelcome. When Nakhleh, her sister Ronia and Elmoudi — who had all registered for the event prior — tried to enter the event, they said campus security had asked if they had registered three separate times. Nakhleh remembers a security guard asking the three women if they were going to “cause any problems.” Elmoudi noted that all three wore hijabs. Nakhleh had a keffiyeh on her backpack, which the guard noticed. They were only let in after Nakhleh
News Dean is done Former law dean disbarred by Manitoba Law Society
March 06, 2024
asked the guard why the keffiyeh would indicate they would cause trouble. “We walk in, we were given dirty looks,” she recalled. “We took our seats in the back, and just listened.” During the question period, Elmoudi raised her hand and asked a question, which was delayed to the end by Eid, but before he reached her question, another question was asked, about how Christians, Jews and Muslims can achieve peace. In Eid’s response, he said the major obstacle was “the ideology of Muslims.” He said Muslims are ideologically “not ready to change.” The three felt as though couldn’t say anything. They said they had been threat-
3 Editorial
ened with arrest just before sitting down, but eventually, Elmoudi stood up to tell the audience that what they were hearing was misinformation. Eid raised his voice, telling her to stop talking, and then addressed the audience, saying that “this is the problem of the Muslims.” The group left soon after another attendee spoke up. “It made me feel very isolated and very unsafe,” Elmoudi said. Elmoudi said that, after the event, security services reached out to say Eid’s conduct at the event was “appalling.” The three made clear, though, that the message did not acknowledge security’s behaviour. U of M said security ser-
8 Comment
Flight of the photographers Being near death provokes profound thoughts
vices was unavailable for an interview, but provided an email statement to the Manitoban which said the onus is on event organizers to engage security services “if they feel security services are needed for the event,” in order to create a safety plan. The statement also said U of M policies for the space and event are explained to event hosts, drawing attention to the Respectful Workplace and Learning policy, and that the policies apply to everyone in attendance.
of support, with many calling to hold UMSU and the University of Manitoba accountable for allowing the event to be held on campus. While the talk was held at the U of M, both UMSU and the university emphasized in email statements to the Manitoban that they were not involved with its organization. The event was organized by the groups Students Supporting Israel (SSI) and Bridges for Peace, with funds from the Asper Foundation.
The community reacts A day after the event was held, Elmoudi took to social media to share her story. She was flooded with comments
Arts & 11 Culture
Cont’d p. 4 / Student
15 Sports
>
16
Hall of fumbles
Showtune showcase
Women’s V-ball win
UMSU, UM continue to ignore anti-Palestinian racism
UM theatre ensemble celebrates “La Vie Boheme”
Bisons women heading to CanWest finals
SINCE 1914
VOL. 110, NO. 24