MEDIA NOTE: Participation in the question and answer portion of this event is in person or via Zoom, and is for accredited members of the Press Gallery only. Media who are not members of the Press Gallery may contact [email protected] for temporary access.
MEDIA ADVISORY: Canadian Academia Unites Against Targeting of Palestinian Universities
Toronto, December 13th, 2023 - In a unified stance, Canadian academic communities are strongly denouncing the relentless targeting of universities, their leadership, and students in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) by Israeli armed forces. As part of a joint initiative with human rights advocacy organization Justice For All Canada, academic leaders representing the Palestinian diaspora will address the impact of Israeli aggression on academic communities in Gaza during a press conference on Friday, December 15th, 2023, and present a series of critical asks to the Canadian government. The media programme will also honour the life and legacy of Dr. Sofyan Taya, a widely renowned scholar, Professor of Physics and President of Gaza’s largest university. Professor Taya, who was also a visiting scholar at the University of Waterloo last year, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in his home in Jebalia Refugee Camp in Gaza.
Speakers:
Dr. Basma Abdelgafar, Vice President of Maqasid Institute
Dr. Iyas Salim, Lecturer, Carleton University
Mohammed Nijim, PhD candidate, Carleton University
Dr. Nadia Abu-Zahra, Associate Professor, University of Ottawa
Saleha Faruque, Government Relations Manager, Justice For All Canada
Date of Press Conference: Friday, December 15th, 2023
Time: 11 a.m. EST
Location: 135-B, West Block, Parliament Hill, Ottawa, ON
Background & Details
The escalation of attacks on Palestinian academic institutions and their staggering impact intensifies the urgent plea for immediate, collective action and international investigation into the situation;
Furthermore, a joint letter, signed by hundreds of Canadian professors, faculty members, students, and alums from across Canada, will be presented during the press conference. This letter urgently calls on Canadian higher education institutions to unequivocally endorse the ceasefire already announced by the Canadian government and to call for the protection of academic communities and students directly threatened by ongoing airstrikes and bombardment.
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Justice For All Canada is a Canadian not-for-profit human rights advocacy organization challenging state-level Islamophobia, discrimination and genocidal crimes facing religious, ethnic and Indigenous minorities on a global scale.
Speakers:
Dr. Basma Abdelgafar, Vice President of Maqasid Institute
Dr. Iyas Salim, Lecturer, Carleton University
Mohammed Nijim, PhD candidate, Carleton University
Dr. Nadia Abu-Zahra, Associate Professor, University of Ottawa
Saleha Faruque, Government Relations Manager, Justice For All Canada
Date of Press Conference: Friday, December 15th, 2023
Time: 11 a.m. EST
Location: 135-B, West Block, Parliament Hill, Ottawa, ON
Background & Details
The escalation of attacks on Palestinian academic institutions and their staggering impact intensifies the urgent plea for immediate, collective action and international investigation into the situation;
- 439 individuals from universities were killed, including 427 students and 12 academics or employees.
- The airstrikes and bombardment have left 11 higher education buildings in ruins, disrupting access for over 88,000 students in Gaza and 138,000 students in the West Bank.
- 555 Gaza students are deprived of enrolling in scholarships abroad.
- Approximately 5,000 Palestinian students studying abroad lack financial support due to severed family contacts in Gaza.
Furthermore, a joint letter, signed by hundreds of Canadian professors, faculty members, students, and alums from across Canada, will be presented during the press conference. This letter urgently calls on Canadian higher education institutions to unequivocally endorse the ceasefire already announced by the Canadian government and to call for the protection of academic communities and students directly threatened by ongoing airstrikes and bombardment.
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Justice For All Canada is a Canadian not-for-profit human rights advocacy organization challenging state-level Islamophobia, discrimination and genocidal crimes facing religious, ethnic and Indigenous minorities on a global scale.