The UWO-affiliated college is caught in the crossfire of a decision to accept money from Muslim groups - one local, one international - to help fund a new chair in Islamic studies. Critics say there's a link to violent jihadism there and the $2 million could influence school courses and choice of chair. Huron College insists neither is true. Education reporter Jennifer O'Brien examines the issue.
WHAT CRITICS SAY
"The main crux of our concern is not that they are establishing a chair in Muslim studies - in fact, we think it is urgent for the students at Western and the general public to have a better understanding of Islam. Our concern is for the particular funding of this chair," said Rory Leishman, a freelance journalist acting as a spokesperson for the Western alumni and friends who signed a letter written by UWO professor John Palmer, urging Huron to turn down the funding.
According to 26 people who signed the letter, the problem is the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) supports a vision of Islam first outlined by a man named Hassan Al-Banna, who founded the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 and advocated jihad against those who don't follow Islam. This is based on a statement posted on MAC's website, which says "MAC adopts and strives to implement Islam, as embodied in the Qur'an, and the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and as understood in its contemporary context by the late Imam, Hassan Al-banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Al-banna has also been quoted as saying Islam will "obliterate" Israel. Opponents are also concerned about the association between MAC and London's Islamic Centre of Southwest Ontario, whose president Assem Fadel, was also the head of a former charity that had its licence revoked over reports it had funneled money to "known terrorist associations."
Based on the assumption those who provide funding for the chair will have influence over the type of courses offered, the group has even more urgent concerns about the $1 million that will be provided by the International Institute for Islamic Thought (IIIT). Those concerns are rooted in investigations, including a 2003 U.S. probe when a U.S. Customs Service agent said he believed the IIIT president and vice- president were ardent supporters of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas. The organization has never been convicted of any terrorist links and still supports and provides funding for Islamic courses at universities and seminaries across North America. In 2008, Temple University in Philadelphia declined a $1.5-million offer to fund a chair in Islamic studies after concerns were raised, similar to those raised by Palmer in London.
"We urge Huron University College to follow the example of Temple University and refuse funding from both the IIIT and MAC," said Palmer in his letter, adding if Huron accepts the money it could jeopardize future endowments from "individuals and organizations that would not want to provide financial backing to a university that is affiliated with Islamist groups that provide moral and/or material support to violent jihadists."
While Huron maintains neither MAC nor IIIT will have power over a chair or courses, critics say that's unlikely. They cite an article published by a Catholic graduate of Hartford Seminary, who wrote he suffered greatly at school for being critical of Islam during Muslim studies.
WHAT BACKERS SAY
Huron's Trish Fulton, the interim principal, said the college wouldn't have accepted support if there was any truth to the concerns raised by Palmer and Leishman. The organizations will have no say in course tone or who's hired as the chair, she said. She said the school is confident the Muslim Association of Canada has no links to terrorist organizations and doesn't advocate for violent jihad. As for IIIT, "they fund education, Islamic studies, courses and chairs - that's what they do."
Fulton said she's only received the one official letter and about "half a dozen" other complaints.
"We have a due diligence process that - it includes a site visit, a review of tax returns and any other information available on the organization - and we follow that before we entertain any gift of a certain size or gift from individuals or organizations," she said. "Islamic studies is a legitimate subject for academic inquiry and we are very proud that this is the first chair of Islamic studies in a family of theology in Canada."
The president of the Muslim Association of Canada, Dr. Wael Haddara, said the group is writing an official position, explaining it does claim "intellectual descent from Hassan Al-Banna," even though "we also firmly believe that there is a tremendous amount of good in the writings, works and life of Al-Banna and the traditions of the Muslim Brotherhood . . . "
"I understand the concerns," Haddara said, noting many religious movements and uprisings can be traced to leaders who've advocated violence or other questionable tactics. "Everybody has an obligation to explain themselves and we have an obligation to explain ourselves . . . our communication strategy has not been effective." He said there's frustration, though, with concerns that appeared to be based on a theory that Muslim immigrants have a greater agenda to use their power in society to replace Western values with Muslim ones. "It is a very ingenious argument. The argument is, 'I will be good up until such time that I am sufficiently strong and then I will be bad. And if we are decent and participating, we are just biding our time, and if we say anything dissenting then we are showing our true face.'"
Haddara said MAC supports the Islamic chair at Huron because there's great value in increasing knowledge about all faiths.
"People see the value in this, which is elevating the discourse of Islam and Muslim issues . . . and adding some meaningful dialogue about what is it to be a Muslim in Canada, what are the challenges, what is the Muslim identity."
The faculty of theology at Huron welcomes the chair in Islamic studies, said its dean, Rev. William Danaher.
"Chairs are the highest status and we believe Islam and the Muslim community is worthy of a chair, rather than some courses in Islam. We view this as vital to what we hope to achieve in religious studies in the faculty of theology."
--- --- ---
THE KEY PLAYERS
- Huron University College: The founding college of the University of Western Ontario began as a theological college and remains an Anglican affiliate of UWO.
- Muslim Association of Canada: London-based group would collect half the money to endow the new chair.
- International Institute of Islamic Thought: Virginia-based group would provide matching funding.
- John Palmer: This UWO academic wrote a letter on behalf of Western alumni and friends, urging Huron University College to reject the funding.
- Rory Leishman: Spokesperson for those who signed the letter, a former Free Press columnist and conservative commentator.
--- --- ---
OTHER COMMENTS
"While we commend the college for undertaking to 'make a substantive contribution to understanding of Islamic thought and Muslim identity in pluralistic societies' through the establishment of this chair, we think it is extremely ill-advised of the college to accept funding from any organization implicated in violent jihad." -- John Palmer, associate professor, economics, UWO
"That Andrew Bieszad graduated from Hartford Seminary is proof that we are a plural place that accepts a wide variety of students. He came . . . with a pre-set idea about Islam and discarded everything that didn't fit that agenda . . ." -- Heidi Hadsell, president of Hartford Seminary, on the article by graduate Andrew Bieszad
"There is no evidence I can see that these organizations advocate viewpoints that should be excluded from the public discussion." -- James Reilly, professor of modern Middle East history, University of Toronto
"We are concerned that the Islamic Centre of Southwest Ontario, the Muslim Association of Canada and the International Institute of Islamic Thought will insist that the holder of the new Chair in Islamic Studies at Huron must propagate the radical Islamist ideology typified by Hassan al-Banna." -- Rory Leishman, freelance journalist