[Music]
Q: Can you tell us a little more of what
your student group is about?
A: So we are the Muslim Students
Association. Our student group
is about providing services to the
Muslim community
and also expanding beyond the
Muslim community to the wider Ryerson
community
and the Toronto community as well. We
help in charities, we help provide social
events.
We'll provide professional development
events and also religious
and spiritual assistance events. Q: I see
I know you have the title of vice
president
external affairs. So what exactly do you
do in your role?
In my role as a vice president external
affairs, at the MSA,
I am responsible for connecting our
directors to the resources they need.
So for a social events director, if they
need a restaurant
contact for a professional development
director, if they need an alumni contact
and also
keeping in touch with the other student
groups for collaboration.
As well as the president's office and
other administration bodies such as the
Ryerson Student Union
Q: Well given with what's happening around
the world such as the
travel ban in America and the mass
shooting in Quebec,
how have you and your student group been
responding to these events?
A: So actually our president Miriam Noser
has herself
participated earlier this week I believe,
on Monday
in a protest happened in front of the
US consultancy building I believe or
embassy, and it was against the travel
ban.
And that is for the reason that she does
not believe it's right
and so do we as a Ryerson Muslim
Students Association also believe
we do not believe that the best way to
control who's coming into a country is
just by banning
people from different countries and
stereotyping them. So, what we have as an
MSA have been trying to do
is spread awareness about what Muslim
and Muslims are, and what Islam is
really is, and this has been long before
the travel ban as well.
It's been through many things such as
our charity events our Islamic awareness
week, which is coming up in the end of
March for this year
where we talk to people about what Islam
is really through the eyes of the
students,
and how this 0.0007 percent of
extremists do not represent the whole
religion. There have been people who have
been trying to get back
on track and to trying to get to their
life together by moving to the US.
Flying away from war zones and I don't
think that
we should ban them from absolutely
coming in. We're separating families by
doing that
and we're basically stopping people's
life.
Q: Have you or your student group
experienced any discrimination
in the Ryerson community? A: Absolutely. A
lot of members from our
Muslim student group have experienced
discrimination,
including the president herself Miriam
Noser. She did an interview I believe
with CBC
last year in the TTC about
the aggression that she has faced
from having her hijab,
which is the headscarf, pulled off her
head.
In another occasion, unfortunately being
spat on,
and this was a very sad occasion that
happened after the Paris attacks
because she's a visible Muslim who is
also mixed. So her mother is Irish and
that's why she
is in skin color white, but she's also
wearing a head scarf as she is Muslim.
So, she's faced the most discrimination
out of us actually, but also a lot of
other members.
Mostly the ladies in our group have
faced discrimination, unfortunately.
Q: Have you made these incidents known to
the university?
A: We have made these incidents known to
the university in many occasions and it
has been
the university administration has always
been responsive. Whether it was with
Mr. Sheldon Levy or recently with Dr.
Lachemi as well, have always been
supportive to our group and they have
enhanced our relationship
with them. Q: Oh okay, that's really good
then.
So do you guys have any plans of
educating students outside of the
Ryerson community about these issues?
A: Absolutely, and we believe that this
education
that we would like to do to members
outside the Ryerson community
is not only by talking about what Islam
is but actually showing it through
actions.
So some of you may know that Muslims
have weekly Friday prayers. So what we
try to talk about in our Friday prayers
and what the Ryerson Muslim Student
Association really stands for
is integrating within the Muslim
community. As Prime Minister Trudeau said
we are not strong in spite of our
differences, in spite of our differences
but because of our differences.
I do agree with that, and yeah I believe
that that's what we stand for.
We do awareness through actions
rather than talk, and we understand that
a lot of people have misunderstandings
and misconceptions about Islam.
Our prophet Muhammad has been one who
always advocated for peace
and understanding and respecting of
other religions.
Q: Wonderful. If we wanted to reach you or
find out more about how we can support
you?
How would the Ryerson community do
that? A: We have many
communication channels through which any
external organizations could reach out
to the Ryerson Muslim
associate Students Association. I have a
personal
email which is vp dot external affairs
at ryerson msa.com
We have the general email as well which
is in fort ryerson msa.com but we also
have
the doors to our office at b30 in the
student campus center open to anyone
that would like to reach out to us at
any time to learn about Islam or even
attend one of our Friday prayers.
We'd absolutely welcome them to do so.
Q: Okay, great thank you!