Durham Region students saddened after Qur’an desecrated at local school | 24CA News
Students and Muslims in Durham Region, and throughout the nation are devastated after an act of Islamophobia at a neighborhood college.
It occurred in Courtice, Ont., the place neighborhood leaders say a gaggle of boys contributed in disrespecting and destroying a Qur’an throughout an training class concerning the faith.
The act is being condemned throughout the board. Gumaa Gumaa, the Imam on the Al Rayan Islamic Centre in Courtice, says it doesn’t simply impression the scholars.
“It is not hurting Muslims only in Clarington and Durham, it’s hurting Muslims all over Canada,” he mentioned.
This comes after college students at Courtice Secondary School say the Qur’an, their central spiritual textual content of Islam, was desecrated by different friends final Friday. Grade 11 college students Alaa Gehani and Ayesha Iqbal had been in disbelief.
“They took the copies of the Qur’an and they disrespected it in so many ways,” mentioned Gehani.
“They put it in the back of their pants and ripped it and tore it apart. It was basically damaged.”
Perhaps what was most upsetting to them was the pair helped put collectively an training session for his or her fellow college students concerning the faith following acts of Islamophobia on the college.
After getting annoyed on the lack of understanding about their beliefs, they took it upon themselves to assemble a number of Qur’an texts to clarify to friends its significance.
“They took a video of it, they were smiling and laughing in the video,” mentioned Iqbal.
“I feel like they knew the importance of the Qur’an. But they still did that, in spite of that.”
Gehani says roughly two to a few college students took half within the act, even after they defined the relevance of the e-book.
“Seeing how people were proudly damaging that book, something that’s important to us, it broke our hearts,” mentioned Gehani.
What’s worrisome for the 2 is the actual fact this isn’t the primary time they’ve handled points, both. Gehani claims academics are additionally misinforming college students concerning the religion.
“We also had teachers showing false information about Islam, showing ISIS and claiming this is the Muslim faith,” she says.
Kawartha Pine Ridge School Board, which the college falls below, has additionally condemned the acts. Although they received’t element how the scholars concerned had been punished, superintendent of training, Jamila Maliha, says they’re working in direction of options to restore relationships.
“We have been working very closely with the principal and the Muslim Students Association to repair the harm that was caused,” she says.
The superintendent can also be chargeable for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion for the college board.
“We value all identities and are resolute in our commitment to ensure a safe and caring learning and teaching environment,” she says.
Gehani and Iqbal say at the very least one scholar was suspended from the incident, however they came upon as a result of they declare he was bragging about doing it.
“My friends who were in one of his classes say he proudly announced that he was suspended, that he got suspended,” Gehani says.
Maliha says they’re taking the incident very significantly and don’t tolerate acts of discrimination of any sort. Shafin Shah, president of the Muslim Student Association on the college, says it’s disappointing — however they’ll forge forward.
“It’s not something that we’re going to let stop us,” says Shah. “We’re going to use this as a chance to educate people. Because often times people are afraid of what they don’t know of.”
The Muslim neighborhood has come collectively to help the scholars, however members of the native mosque say it’s actions like this that set again years of progress.
“Some individual incidents like this. It just brings things backwards,” says Ahmad Mokheamer with the Al Rayan Islamic Centre.
“The school board has work to do there. Not only Muslims, but all minorities. They need to feel like they are included,” he says.
The college board says they’ve scheduled conferences to interact with neighborhood leaders and restore the hurt accomplished.
The college students concerned say it simply pushes them extra to coach their friends concerning the faith and rise above the hate.
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