Western University has cut ties with its Muslim chaplain over social media posts it says "do not align with Western’s commitment to peaceful and respectful dialogue."
The announcement regarding Sh. Aarij Anwer was made in a statement issued Thursday by President Alan Shepard and Opiyo Oloya, Western's associate vice-president of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
"Yesterday, we became aware of comments made online by Sh. Aarij Anwer, who acts in a volunteer capacity to counsel and support Muslim students at Western," the statement from Shephard and Oloya said. "Sh. Anwer will no longer serve in this volunteer position. In these roles, chaplains are meant to support all faith groups even while focusing on members whose particular faith they share."
The action taken by Western follows an exchange on the social media site "X" (formerly Twitter) between Anwer and Senator Linda Frum, who had posted a criticism of a scheduled vigil in Toronto, the poster for which mentioned "Glory to our Martyrs."
"In 2015 PM Harper tried to make it a crime to glorify and promote terrorism," Frum posted. "Trudeau blocked his efforts and here we are. There exists no law in Canada to prevent this orgy of celebration for the beheading of babies and the rape and execution of little girls. Time for a new PM."
In a reply, which can no longer be seen on "X" as Anwer's posts are now "protected" (only visible to his followers), Anwer took Frum to task, claiming that reports of rape and the beheading of children by Hamas had been "debunked."
"Stop spreading lies of beheading babies or rape of little girls. It's been debunked," he wrote. "No one is celebrating the murder of Israeli babies. Palestinians are mourning the death of their babies. It's incredible how Isreal sympathizers simultaneously are the oppressor and the victim."
It's not known if this specific post led to the university to cut ties with Anwer.
"We want to reiterate that Western steadfastly supports our Palestinian, Muslim and Jewish communities," Shephard and Oloya's statement said. "As a university, we are committed to fostering an environment where all members of our community can feel safe, welcomed, heard, and supported. This commitment is jeopardized when our leaders, even those in volunteer positions, make divisive statements."
The statement added that the university is seeking a new Muslim chaplain and it will "ensure our Muslim and Palestinian community members feel our support and can share their thoughts." It also plans to consult with local Muslim leaders to get advice from them.
