“It’s not about agreement or disagreement, it’s about hearing those views which we are not exposed to,” said Nouman Ashraf, U of T’s anti-racism and cultural diversity officer about his office’s mission. As weeks of polemic debate between Israeli and Palestinian campus groups approaches, Ashraf said he’s working to make U of T a more “equitable environment to work and study in.”
The Newman Centre, the campus division of Hillel, and the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) are coming together to hold a series of events called “Spirituality and the Student Experience,” an initiative which is being assisted by the Office of Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity.
“Sometimes student groups approach me to provide logistical support, sometimes I suggest ways of collaboration,” said the 32-year-old Ashraf, describing how his office is trying to improve the student experience.
This collaborative approach taken by the Anti-Racism Office, the MSA, and Hillel is in marked contrast to the considerably more confrontational approach being taken by other student groups on campus. The Arab Students’ Collective will hold “Israeli Apartheid Week” in two weeks, an event that generated considerable conflict on campus when it was held last February. Before that begins, Betar Tagar, a Zionist activist campus group, will hold “Know Radical Islam Week,” with events critiquing the more extremist factions of that religion from Feb. 6-10.
In an effort to facilitate a more tolerant community, the office is holding a series of events on the impact of spirituality on the student experience.
“This is not pro- or anti-religion,” Ashraf is careful to point out, “but a number of students have mentioned that they felt this aspect of the student experience was neglected here.” The first of these events, “Soul Food: Spirituality, Diet and the Student Experience,” was held on Tuesday when 140 people turned out to see how spirituality relates to food issues on campus. In addition to students, a number of staff members showed up.
“They were fascinated to learn from students, and the students liked being able to talk directly to administrators,” said Ashraf.
“Students were saying that administrators and campus food providers need to be more aware of the different spiritual attitudes on food when they provide service to the university.”
Other events in this initiative include a discussion of pilgrimage in different religious traditions on February 7, and an event called “The Feminine and the Divine” on February 14.
In addition to encouraging dialogue on spirituality, the office remains committed to its original mission of fostering positive race relations. Last weekend, it provided logistical support to a conference that considered the concerns of black youth, and on February 8, the office will be hosting an event called “Beyond Stereotypes: The Lived Experiences of Black Youth” at Hart House.
When the Office of Race Relations was redesigned last year to include cultural diversity concerns, Ashraf was brought on board in August to help. Since then, Ashraf said he has been active on all three campuses of the university providing training and “facilitating dialogue and discourse in the university community.” In particular, he has been active with the campus police, including sitting on their hiring committee.
“The university is probably doing better on racial relations issues than Toronto more generally.”
