Middlesex is doing more or less the same things that Judith has
outlined.
Susanna. Date sent: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 10:16:18 +0100
From: Judith Baines <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: support for Muslim students
To: [log in to unmask]
Send reply to: The list aims to provide a channel of communication for HE
administrators w <[log in to unmask]>
Priority: NORMAL
The Islamic Society wrote a letter to us strongly
condemning the attacks in US , advising their sisters not
to go out on their own after dark and to contact them if
there is any hassle. The last paragraph talked about the
good and supportive relationship they had with the Uni etc.
It is about to be published in the staff/student newspaper.
I think the fact that we are publishing it speaks for
itself. Also we are having security cameras put around the
prayer huts and security staff will be in the vicinity
during prayers.
The University has made no statement of its own as the very
nature of our university and its ethnic diversity means
that the students have always mixed and we've always had a
zero tolerance policy on racism. One of my Freshers Team
last week was scared to come in on the Monday due to
attacks on Muslims last weekend but we got her in on
Tuesday and offered to arrange lifts home for her.
The Chaplain also gave a talk to the International Students
about tolerance and the nature of the University - rather
appropriate since 100 of the students were American and a
large proportion muslim!
As yet we've had no problems but it is Freshers on Friday
and we have put security staff in place in case we get
leafleted on the pavement by outside extremists. We have
made it clear to all societies involved that we will remove
offensive material and anyone not assigned to a stall will
be thrown out if they are found leafleting regardless of
what the material says - as its licensed premises we can do
this without a reason.
The pigs heads outside the mosque is an awful thing to do -
none of this seems to be getting reported in the press.
We've heard that muslim woman were surrounded at docklands
last week and had their veils pulled off. There have also
been sikhs attacked in the area because the public are just
plain stupid.
Channel 4 rang us last Friday investigating whether
we had any cults in the university - not difficult
to see where that programme is going - we told them
none at all and told them to ring the press office - the
last thing we all need is a programme on Unis. Fingers
crossed for all of us that any trouble is not instigated by
students.
On Wed, 26 Sep 2001 09:42:24 +0100 Nick Givens
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear All,
> Several colleagues here have reported that some of the Muslim postgraduate
> students whom they are supervising are fearful of a backlash against them;
> gfor instance, some wives of Muslim students are afraid to go out of their
> homes (you may have read that ten severed pigs heads were put outside
> Exeter Mosque last week).
>
> have any of your institutions done anything explicit to reiterate that
> Muslim students are weclome and valaued, and to make it clear to the whole
> student/staff body that harassment remains unacceptable?
>
> nick.
>
> Lecturer in Education,
> School of Education,
> University of Exeter,
> Heavitree Road,
> Exeter,
> EX1 2LU,
> England.
> tel (44) 1392 264869
> fax (44) 1392 264792
----------------------
Judith Baines
Student Liaison and Development Manager
Student Support Services
University of North London
166 Holloway Road
London N7 8DB
tel 020 7314 4212 (internal extension 4066)
fax 020 7753 5788
[log in to unmask]
Susanna Hancock
Equal Opportunities Officer
HRS
Telephone: 020 8411 6873
Email: [log in to unmask]
|