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Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Times
Officially defining Islamophobia endangers freedom of speech
Professor Steven Greer worked at Bristol University for 36 years as an expert in human rights law before his career was ruined. The 68-year-old faced a false accusation in 2020 from the university's Islamic Society alleging he had made Islamophobic remarks. The complainant had not attended Mr Greer's teaching module, yet alleged he had made discriminatory remarks. In reality the lecturer had merely spoken of the Islamist attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine. The complaint against Mr Greer went nowhere, until Bristol's Islamic Society launched a social media campaign against the lecturer. It falsely claimed he had mocked Islam and the Quran. A pile-on ensued with a petition calling for his sacking garnering 4,000 signatures. Mr Greer felt so intimidated by the online anger that he went into hiding, venturing out only in disguise. He sincerely believed his life was in danger. • Islamophobia row academic: I wore a disguise. Better ridiculous than dead Bristol University initiated an inquiry and, five months later, he was exonerated after an independent assessor from another department concluded it was a storm over nothing. The lecturer went on sick leave and has since retired but, rightly, he is not letting the matter rest. In an interview with this newspaper today, he accuses his former employer of failing to protect him. By scrapping Mr Greer's module on 'Islam, China and the Far East' following its inquiry, Bristol University has demonstrated institutional cowardice, as well as humiliating Mr Greer. Alas, there is a precedent here. Kathleen Stock, a professor of philosophy at Sussex University, was driven out for her views on sex and gender. Eventually an investigation by the Office for Students led to Sussex being fined £585,000 for its failure to protect freedom of speech. If the OfS is to fulfil its duties as a protector of freedom of speech on campuses, it must urgently investigate whether or not Bristol offered Mr Greer appropriate protection. Mr Greer's case is instructive as the government considers a formal definition of Islamophobia. Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, instigated a working group earlier this year following a rise in reports of anti-Muslim hatred. The working group claimed that any definition 'must be compatible with the unchanging right of British citizens to exercise freedom of speech and expression'. Yet the mere instance of a definition creates a bar for free speech to be measured by, especially if a commissar is created to adjudicate on it. Although the group has pledged to engage 'widely', there are concerns about its findings becoming a foregone conclusion. According to the Policy Exchange think tank, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims, which promotes its own definition of Islamophobia, has claimed that stating that those involved in grooming gangs were predominantly of Pakistani origin is Islamophobic. Yet that is exactly what Baroness Casey of Blackstock concluded in her recent report into such gangs. Equally troubling is the fact that the working group, led by Dominic Grieve, a former attorney general, has endorsed the parliamentary group's work. Given the ongoing debate on grooming gangs, with a national inquiry due, the government would be wise to halt its work on an Islamophobia definition. The danger to free speech is too great, as is the danger of more cases arising like that of Mr Greer. Strong laws against racial hatred already exist. There is no need for more.
CBC
05-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
'Wound is opened up again' after exam features controversial Charlie Hebdo cover: Muslim community leader
A Muslim community leader in Winnipeg says she was shocked and disappointed to see a controversial magazine cover with a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad included as part of a case study in a provincial Manitoba Grade 12 exam last week. The province's education department has now redacted that section of the French-immersion exam, and made the exam — which was intended as a standardized provincial test — optional for students, after the province's largest school division raised concerns about it. "This exam is just another piece, another layer, that has been added to the suffering we thought we were all behind," said Shahina Siddiqui, the executive director of the Manitoba-based Islamic Social Services Association. A case study in the exam included an image from the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, originally printed in 2011. The exam booklet included a photo of a person holding up a copy of the magazine, which featured the caricature of the Muslim prophet on its cover. Depictions or imagery of the Prophet Muhammad are not allowed in Islam, and the cartoon itself is an Islamophobic image that could create fear and spur hate toward Muslim students, Siddiqui said. The image's inclusion could give the impression that educators are OK with students experiencing Islamophobia in schools, she said in an interview with CBC. "The damage has been done.… It's making peers afraid of peers." This year's exam theme was "La liberté d'expression: un bien ou un mal?" meaning, "Freedom of expression: good or bad?" Students were asked to write arguments about why they believe freedom of expression is a good thing or a bad thing using case studies included in the 51-page test booklet. The test also includes information about the January 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo's Paris office that left 12 people dead — a violent event that has been widely condemned by Muslim communities across the world, Siddiqui said. In a statement to CBC News on Wednesday, the province said the education department has requested schools collect the test, redact the offensive content and return the booklets to schools. Schools can also give alternative exams in its place, the province said. "The department takes the concerns raised about this content seriously and is reviewing this matter to ensure that future examination materials are appropriately considered," a provincial spokesperson said. 'You're supposed to respect each other' Siddiqui said it is important for educators to educate themselves about the impact of Islamophobia. "I don't believe in suppressing information, but choosing what information is appropriate," she said, suggesting that the exam could have included a different case study that illustrated a similar point. "In a human relationship, you're supposed to respect each other. If you know that something will hurt me and you know the history, those who put it together know the history of the cartoon, know how much Muslims were hurt … that wound is opened up again," she said. Siddiqui said her own grandson is in Grade 11, and would likely have felt pain and anger if he had seen that image on a test. Lillian Klausen, president of the Manitoba Teachers' Society, said the image used in the exam "crosses the line into hate speech." "I believe it was a good call to remove the insulting Islamophobic caricature. We want all students to do their best work on this important writing assessment. They can't do that if they are insulted or triggered," Klausen said in a written statement. Last week, Winnipeg School Division superintendent Matt Henderson sent a letter to students' families, apologizing for any harm the test may have caused. Division staff "noticed immediately that there was content that could be offensive for some of our learners," the letter said. That material was redacted, and students who might have been offended were given the option to not write the exam, Henderson's letter said. He said students' grades will not be affected if they choose to opt out. Instead, final grades will be based on class work and assessments. Siddiqui said her association was not consulted about the exam, but it has consulted schools in the past. She hopes she can work with teachers in the future to educate them about the impact of Islamophobia. "I hope that this teaches a lesson that's lasting," she said.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Students allowed to opt out of exam with image of controversial Charlie Hebdo cover
Some Grade 12 French-immersion students in Manitoba will be allowed to opt out of a take-home provincial exam that included a section showing a controversial image from the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo, which printed an offensive caricature of the Prophet Muhammad in 2011.
Winnipeg Free Press
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Province's French-education bureau under fire after image offensive to Muslims distributed in Grade 12 exam booklet
The French education bureau is facing backlash for distributing hundreds of Grade 12 provincial exams that contain an infamous caricature of the founder of Islam. Muslim leaders are condemning Islamophobic imagery that was printed in a case study distributed to 500 French immersion students, and the Manitoba government's response. 'The harm has been done…. This has been a continued way of how we are addressing Islamophobia — it's always an afterthought,' said Shahina Siddiqui, executive director of the Islamic Social Services Association in Winnipeg. High schools across the province distributed booklets for the multi-day exam on May 28. The following day, after receiving complaints about a section about French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, the education department asked teachers to collect them. School staff were directed to black out a cartoon mocking the prophet Muhammad — first printed on the front page of the Paris-based weekly satirical publication more than a decade ago — before redistributing the exam materials. The theme of the exam section in question is, 'La liberté d'expression : un bien ou un mal?' (Is free speech a good thing or bad thing?). Grade 12 students were assigned to read a report about Charlie Hebdo and the Jan. 7, 2015 attack by two French-born Muslim brothers who murdered 12 magazine employees and injured 11 others. The French-language magazine has been the target of multiple violent attacks in recent history, owing to its provocative content challenging religious, political and social norms. The Manitoba government borrowed the case study from an external source. It includes a loonie-sized image of a Charlie Hebdo edition depicting Muhammad as its guest editor. A caricature mocking the prophet says in a speech bubble in French: '100 whips if you don't die laughing!' The edition was rebranded as 'Charia Hebdo,' a nod to Shariah — religious laws and ethics that underpin Islamic traditions and which many Muslims interpret to discourage the creation of visual representations of Muhammad. Siddiqui, a longtime advocate of anti-Islamophobia education, called the decision to reprint the image that has been widely condemned by Muslims across the world as 'really, really disturbing.' The grandmother of school-aged children called on the French education bureau, often called 'the BEF,' to issue an apology. School divisions have been given the go-ahead to administer 'alternate evaluations' for students negatively affected by what the province has deemed 'potentially sensitive content,' the Free Press has learned. 'The department takes the concerns raised about this content seriously and is reviewing this matter to ensure that future examination materials are appropriately considered,' a provincial spokesperson said in a statement. Manitoba announced it was creating a committee to tackle Islamophobia in kindergarten-to-Grade 12 schools at the start of the academic year. Committee member Youcef Soufi said whoever approved the Charlie Hebdo case study 'messed up big time.' 'Some Muslims feel that Muhammad shouldn't be depicted. Others don't care. How he's depicted and the consequences on Muslim students is what matters most here,' said Soufi, who is both a consultant for the Manitoba Islamic Association and researcher on Islamphobia at the University of Manitoba. Soufi questioned the 'problematic narrative arc' of the material as he said it positions Muslims as a threat to freedom of expression. 'It sends a message to Muslim students that they don't belong here. It positions them as opposed to our commonly held Canadian values — a way of thinking that led to several deadly attacks on Muslims in the last decade,' he added. Education Minister Tracy Schmidt was not made available for comment on the subject. Both the National Council of Canadian Muslims and Manitoba Teachers' Society endorsed the province's decision to remove the image from the exams. While noting some of her teacher-colleagues might view the image as a way to help students 'recognize the harmful effects of racism,' MTS president Lillian Klausen said an insulting figure can prove distracting. 'We want all students to do their best work on this important writing assessment. And if this image affects or triggers students so that they cannot do their best work on this exam, it's better to leave it out,' the francophone teacher added. The end-of-term test, originally scheduled May 28-June 2, is worth 20 per cent of each student's final mark in the immersion course. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Charlie Hebdo files complaint against fake covers it calls 'Russian propaganda'
The French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo has filed a counterfeiting complaint in court against a series of fake covers that it says are pro-Russian propaganda. Charlie Hebdo's editorial team has identified about 15 fake front pages of the newspaper published over two years that they say "aim to make people believe that we are in favour of the policies of Putin," they said in a statement on Monday, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The editors filed a complaint with a Paris court with the aim of "at least identifying the authors and possibly the instigators of this propaganda", lawyer Richard Malka told the AFP news agency. Images of covers using Charlie Hebdo's recognisable style, with cartoons mocking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or the Ukrainian army along with signatures of the newspaper's cartoonists have been making the rounds on Telegram, X and other social media. Other fake covers make fun of Britain's migration policy or push false conspiracy theories about the gender of France's First Lady Brigitte Macron. The complaint says the covers are "accompanied by captions or comments written in Russian". "There is an almost industrial approach that is accelerating, with several very high quality front pages, which could be misleading for those not familiar with the newspaper's editorial line," Malka said. "There is a clear intention behind this that appears to be pro-Russian propaganda." (with AFP) Read more on RFI EnglishRead also:Reporters Without Borders launches news platform to counter Russian propagandaRFI targeted by Russian disinformationFrench newspapers torn between tributes and defiance on Charlie Hebdo anniversary
