The Muslim Students’ Association at the University of Toronto has cancelled a talk by a member of a terror group amid growing backlash.
“Failing to hold those who promote hatred accountable has sent a dangerous message — that antisemitism is tolerated in Canada,” said Michelle Stock, provincial vice president for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), in an email to National Post. “This cannot be allowed to stand. It’s long past time for authorities to take meaningful action and ban the glorification of terror.”
The student group based out of the university’s St. George campus had invited Shadi Shurafa, a member of the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terror entity in Canada, to lecture about the “role of resistance in prison systems.” The event was co-organized by the Muslim Students’ Association and three other organizations that are not official University of Toronto groups: the Watermelon Coalition, U of T Occupy for Palestine and Students in Solidarity with Palestine.
Shurafa was convicted for his role in a failed bombing of an Israeli civilian bus in 2001, according to a report published by the Mineta Transportation Institute, which was established by the U.S. Congress.
The Muslim Students’ Association said Shurafa’s lecture would share “valuable insights into the rationale behind prisons in the occupied territories and their connection to the security forces of Israel and the Palestinian Authority,” according to the description on the original Instagram post shared to the groups account on Jan. 20, which has since been deleted.
Shurafa’s talk has been cancelled and the Muslim Students’ Association has deleted the event from its website, but the event will still take place virtually according to one of the other organizers.
“Shadi Shurafa will be unable to join us for this event,” the Watermelon Coalition wrote on Instagram in a post, announcing a different guest was invited to fill the vacancy. “There’s a high probability of this event having to be hosted online as UofT has cancelled our booking. We are trying our best to make this event happen in person but at the present moment we cannot guarantee this.”
The university told the Post in an emailed statement that the “event is not taking place at the University of Toronto.”
“This event was never scheduled to take place at the university. We have nothing further to add,” a spokesperson said in an email, despite the Watermelon Coalition’s claim that they had previously booked a room.
The event, which was supposed to be held on Thursday afternoon alongside a book sale, will now take place on Zoom, according to an email shared with the Post that was sent from the Watermelon Coalition to people who signed up for the event. Among the recipients, was an email for Samidoun, a group that has been designated a terrorist entity by Canada, and Charlotte Kates, a founder of Samidoun.
The Muslim Students’ Association did not respond to National Post’s requests for comment.
The event sparked significant pushback from Jewish community groups.
“We are glad the event is not moving forward as planned but, that these groups — particularly a student group associated with the University of Toronto — thought it was reasonable to provide a platform for and celebrate a convicted terrorist without repercussions is both troubling and unacceptable. What it isn’t though, is surprising,” Stock said.
Hillel Ontario and its chapter on campus had initially raised the alarm about Shurafa’s presence last Saturday, releasing a detailed social media post demanding university leaders bar the event from proceeding.
“It is profoundly irresponsible to give a platform to an individual with a history of planning terror attacks targeting innocent civilians–especially in partnership with a recognized student club at UofT. By endorsing this event, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) legitimizes violence and extremism, creating a hostile environment for the Jewish campus community and all others affected by terrorism,” the statement reads.
“The continued use of euphemisms like ‘resistance’ to sanitize and obscure acts of terrorist violence is unacceptable and has no place on campus or in Canada.”
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