After the terror attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 15 which killed at least 50 people and injured 41 others, just before Carleton’s Islam Awareness Week, Muslim students at Carleton are raising questions about the acceptance of diverse groups on campus. The university administration needs to create official, specific, student-informed strategies to combat racist and prejudiced cultures to ensure that racialized students feel safer on campus.
A bulk of the work to demystify misconceptions and stereotypes around racialized groups—such as Muslim students—is done by student-run groups on campus. A commitment to upholding diversity necessitates policies targeting specific, nuanced problems faced by minority groups on campus.
At Carleton, the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) is the group responsible for the annual Islam Awareness Week, which was especially important this year in light of the terror attack last week. But, currently, there is no comparable campaigning done by the university administration. Following the shooting, the university released a statement condemning the attack on Muslims in New Zealand, and referred members of the Carleton community affected by it to the already-available support and counselling services on campus. But, Carleton needs to do more than just talk about their “commitment to prevent discrimination and harassment, welcome diversity, and promote greater inclusivity,” as stated in the press release.
