SFU adds security, temporary prayer space after incident during Ramadan
Posted September 5, 2019 3:31 pm.
Last Updated September 5, 2019 9:24 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SURREY (NEWS 1130) – One of B.C.’s biggest and busiest universities is taking steps to beef up security to help students feel better protected after someone urinated on the floor in the dedicated prayer area.
The incident happened on June 3 at Simon Fraser University, during the holy month of Ramadan and just one day before Eid.
After meeting with the school’s Muslim Student Association (MSA), changes are being made.
“SFU has acknowledged the harm that this incident [caused]. This incident that did take place in early June was rather disgusting,” says Ahmed Khan, president of the university’s MSA. “We feel students will feel safer with the steps SFU is taking and just to reinstate again, we do feel this is an endemic problem that required action and SFU did take action.”
RELATED: SFU Muslim Students Association wants answers, month after targeted incidents
Ahmed says at the time, Muslim students who used the area felt as though their privacy had been attacked and although they feel better SFU is doing something to address it, he explains they also can’t forget what happened.
“This is an endemic problem — the problem of Islamophobia. Going by the statistics, we see there is a rise [in attacks.] I cannot emphatically state whether or not there will be more [attacks] but according to the statistics, it seems like there is an increase.”
The figures he’s referring to are from Statistics Canada, which last year showed police-reported hate crimes went up nation-wide in 2017 and that hate crimes targeting Muslims jumped by 151 per cent.
SFU says it’s also taking steps to ensure a similar incident doesn’t happen again. “SFU has conducted stakeholder meetings with Interfaith Centre members (including students) and SFU Administration, is evaluating current/future potential threats, and is compiling recommendations,” the university says in a statement.
RELATED: Two disturbing incidents target SFU prayer areas during Ramadan
The school has also confirmed locations for permanent prayer spaces in two buildings on the Surrey campus.
“Both spaces require renovations. We are working with stakeholder groups to ensure the spaces will meet the needs of the interfaith community. At this point, we do not have an opening date but we are well into a planning process. The temporary space will remain open until the permanent spaces are ready.”
On the same day the Surrey campus was targeted, so was the main Burnaby location. RCMP in both cities were contacted.
A suspect was identified in relation to the Surrey incident and banned from campus.
No suspect has ever been identified in the Burnaby incident.
