On Oct. 18, the Ottawa community gathered to witness stories told through the Silenced by Scholasticide exhibition at Carleton University.
Held at Baker’s on the fourth floor of Nideyinàn, several speakers and educators addressed the “scholasticide” happening in Gaza — a term that refers to the systematic mass destruction of education in a specific area. Attendees collectively mourned the Palestinian scholars and students who have been killed during the ongoing conflict.
Sponsored by Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) Canada, Carleton 4 Palestine coalition, Students for Justice in Palestine Carleton and the Carleton Human Rights Society, the exhibition is part of a national project that will be travelling across Canadian universities.
Nir Hagigi, president of IJV Carleton and exhibit curator, said the exhibition started as a personal project, inspired to raise awareness of Israel’s “targeting” of the education sector, impacting academics, scholars and students living in Gaza.
Hagigi said he felt that as an academic institution, Carleton University was not addressing the issue of scholasticide.
“Imagine if every single building on our campus has just been decimated to rocks and rubble,” Hagigi said. “[Palestine’s] institutions have held thousands of years of knowledge, and it’s all gone now.”
Hagigi highlighted the case of Sufyan Tayeh, the president of the Islamic University of Gaza and the UNESCO chairholder in physics, astronomy and space science. He was killed by an Israeli airstrike in December 2023.
“[It’s] so clear that Dr. Tayeh was such an important person,” Hagigi said. “And he’s now just wiped off the face of the Earth.”
Hagigi said the purpose of Silenced by Scholasticide was to humanize Palestinian scholars, academics and students to the Carleton administration and student community.
“I’m just hoping this will be able to touch some students, make them realize that they’re not different from the scholars and academics in Gaza,” Hagigi said.
Carleton sociology professor Iyas Salim Abu-Hajiar, said education is the “highest priority” for Palestinians and will remain a cultural cornerstone moving forward.
“I carry [education] with me as a scholar here in Canada,” he said. “It is with me as a Palestinian and it’s part of my identity and part of my motivation.”
Growing up in Gaza, Abu-Hajiar said scholars and academics were “local leaders” in their communities against colonizing powers.
“These [educational] institutions are representing a solid reflection of Palestinian society,” he said. “This is where knowledge is kept, where its knowledge is preserved.”
Abu-Hajiar shared stories of his friends, including fellow scholar Ibrahim Al-Astal, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike on Dec. 23, 2023. Abu-Hajiar said he felt his presence during the evening and was reminded of the importance of advocating for Palestinians in Canada.
“I want to honour their legacy, their memory,” he said. “Yes, they have died, they left us, but their spirit is with us.”
Abu-Hajiar said he is committed to using his voice in Canada to advocate for the protection of scholars and universities in Gaza.
“If I am free from … bombardment here, I must use my freedom to free my fellow Palestinians in Gaza,” he said.
Elghawaby commended Carleton students for fighting to keep the exhibition alive amid administrative censorship concerns. She said it was unfortunate that students faced so many barriers to discussing “devastation on the academic life in Gaza.”
“That’s what universities and places of higher education are meant to do,” Elghawaby said. “To create space for difficult conversations, for people to come together and learn.”
She said it was powerful to listen to Palestinian Canadian speakers, who shared their experiences of loss and resilience throughout the evening.
“I think [it] really brings it home, that within our communities, there’s pain in so many different ways,” Elghawaby said.
Shaheen Lotun, an Ottawa community member, said she believes it is crucial for people to recognize the destruction of educational institutions and the death of academics is prohibiting a future for Palestine.
Lotun said the community needs to learn about the scholars who have died during the conflict. She said it felt “incredible” to see community members become extremely motivated toward the cause.
“All of us, all of it, owe to every single person who has been murdered to keep fighting for not one more death,” Lotun said.
She shared a quote that stuck out to her that was read by Chandni Desai during the ceremony that highlighted resilience and the importance of education in Palestinian communities.
“We built these universities from tents, and from tents with the support of our friends, we will rebuild them again,” Desai said.
The Silenced by Scholasticide exhibition will be heading to Saint Paul University on Nov. 6, where it will remain until Nov. 8.
Featured Image by Sadeen Mohsen/The Charlatan.
