'Appalling': Canada Muslim Council Slams Labeling Kaffiyeh-Wearing Student as ‘Terrorist’ in School
The event, which occurred last Friday (Apr. 26) at Iroquois Ridge High School, was recorded and disseminated on social media, insauga reported on Tuesday.
The footage shows a female staff member associating the kaffiyeh with Hamas and cautioning the student about its wear.
The student repeatedly questioned the teacher if the implication was that his wearing of the kaffiyeh, a black and white scarf symbolic of Palestinian support in the Middle East conflict, labeled him a terrorist.
The NCCM expressed their stance on social media: "We are aware of an incident inside a school in Ontario’s Halton region where a student was labelled a 'terrorist' for wearing the keffiyeh scarf. It is utterly appalling and completely unacceptable for this kind of anti-Palestinian racism to exist in our schools, let alone to children."
Principal John Stieva of the high school addressed the issue on the institution's website, labeling the behavior as "harmful" and "unacceptable." The teacher in question has been removed from the school environment pending an investigation by the Halton District School Board.
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The NCCM's statement continued, "Teachers and administrators are supposed to protect students from this kind of racism, not enable or produce it. We salute the courage of this young man in standing up against racism. Let’s be clear: this teacher has no place in the classroom."
The NCCM has vowed to keep a close watch on the developments. "We are in touch with those involved, as well as local advocates like (Muslim Advisory Council of Canada) to push for change," they announced on the X platform. "We will have more updates as the situation evolves."
Source: Agencies
