A motion asking the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) to support Christian charity organization Ratanak International has sparked debate over CUSA’s official discrimination policy.
At the CUSA council meeting on Aug. 28, councillors Matthew Couto and Salar Abdul-Baki brought forward a motion to allow donation boxes for Ratanak International and the fundraiser Ride for Refuge on CUSA property.
The organization and fundraiser do charitable work in Cambodia, helping to rebuild war-torn areas and assist vulnerable groups of the population, such as children involved in the sex trade, according to Ratanak International’s website.
Ratanak International describes itself as “a Christ-centered organization committed to serving the people of Cambodia by being an agent of change in Cambodia’s social, economic, and spiritual landscape.”
Similarly, Ride for Refuge’s mission statement includes, “the development of strategies for world evangelization” and the belief that “churches must seek to transform and enrich culture, all for the glory of God.”
This evangelical spirit is at the heart of a controversy over whether allowing fundraising would violate CUSA’s anti-discrimination policy, which condemns racism and bans discriminatory organizations from renting and running events in CUSA space.
In an open letter to CUSA executives, OPIRG-Carleton director Arun Smith asked the councillors to recognize “that missionary work is manifestly a form of (neo-)colonialism … a form of racism.”
“The very idea that we in the West have this moral superiority or this religiosity that doesn’t exist elsewhere in the world is fundamentally offensive and extraordinarily racist,” Smith said.
Couto said he does not believe the motion violates CUSA policy, and will be participating in the Ride for Refuge himself.
“I think it’s not really about personal politics, it’s just about being fair and inclusive to all charities that need our support,” Couto said.
“Ratanak International is a charity like any other, it does great humanitarian work and it is inclusive to all people who require aide,” Couto said.
“It does not discriminate on who receives the funding, who is included into their programs, so in that sense I don’t believe it is discriminatory.”
Maher Jebara, CUSA vice-president (internal) deferred comment to CUSA president Alexander Golovko, who could not be reached.
