Anger boils in Toronto as School Board acknowledges “Labelling and stigma are an issue" over a proposed new "Somali Task Force"

[Admin]

 

(Toronto Sun) - “We are tired of being marginalized. We came to Canada to integrate, but it seems officials at the TDSB would like us to segregate ourselves into ghettoes.” Those are the words of Suban Abdullahi, mother of two kids in the Toronto school system and three more who have graduated and are now in university.

 

She is one angry Canadian, livid over a proposal by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) to create a “Somali Task Force” to look into absenteeism and crime among Toronto’s Somali-Canadian youth.

 

“Eighty-three percent of the children of Somali descent were born in Canada. They are Canadians, not Somali-Canadians,” she tells me.

It all began in January, 2013 when Toronto MPP Mike Colle, who has a large Somali-Canadian population in his riding, sent a letter to the TDSB asking that it set up a “task force” for Somali-Canadian students in the wake of the murders of 50 youths in Alberta and Ontario.

However, this initiative in “equity”, which the board has taken up, has created a backlash among the very people it was supposed to help.

Somali-Canadians are now deeply divided over the proposal to address the problem of crime and absenteeism specifically among Canadian children of Somali descent.

 

Mothers like Abdullahi insist these problems run across Toronto’s many ethnic communities, not Somalis alone.

 

Last Tuesday, she and about 30 other parents demonstrated outside the TDSB’s offices, demanding the task force proposal be abandoned or the label “Somali” dropped.

 

Liibaan Moalin, a father of three children in the TDSB system, started an on-line petition addressed to Chris Bolton, Chair of the TDSB and Premier Kathleen Wynne, asking, them to “Stop Ghettoizing Canadian Children of Somali descent.” The petition, which already has over 500 signatories, says:

 

“We are parents of Canadian children of Somali descent who find the idea of the proposed TDSB-funded “Somali Task Force” extremely offensive and racist. We believe if such a program is implemented, an entire community that is already part of a marginalized group, will further be stigmatized and segregated from the mainstream Canadian community.”

 

School Superintendent Jim Spyropoulos of TDSB, who is spearheading the “Somali Task Force” proposal acknowledges, “Labelling and stigma are an issue,” but told me, “it’s the Somali-Canadian community that is insisting on having the label ‘Somali’ attached to the taskforce.

 

“We met with hundreds of Somali-Canadians at meetings held in the Abu-Hurraira Mosque and the IMO Islamic Centre in Rexdale,” he said.

The proposals reflect the community’s desires, including one to establish a Somali History Month, in spite of the fact TDSB already has a Black History Month.

 

I asked Spyropolous if he was willing to reconsider the proposal or drop the “Somali” label now that he knows about opposition to it from many Somali-Canadian parents. He was non-committal.

 

Chris Bolton, chair of the TDSB says nothing has been finalized. In an e-mail, he said recommendations made by Spyropolous and his group “will be received by the board and then staff would consider what can be done with regard to implementation; so there is lots of time to have input into what happens next.”

 

One would have hoped the TDSB had learned from the results of its Africentric school fiasco.

 

But it seems it hasn’t and there is little chance of stopping Canadian children of Somali descent from becoming the board’s latest guinea pigs.

 

Source: Toronto Sun

http://www.somaliaonline.com/anger-boils-in-toronto-as-school-board-superintendent-acknowledges-labelling-and-stigma-are-an-issue-over-a-proposed-new-task-force/

[Madoobe1508736697]

"chool Superintendent Jim Spyropoulos of TDSB, who is spearheading the “Somali Task Force” proposal acknowledges, “Labelling and stigma are an issue,” but told me, “it’s the Somali-Canadian community that is insisting on having the label ‘Somali’ attached to the taskforce.

 

Hmmmmm...Interesting....what worries me is those Somalis that listen to such racist individual!!!

 

All of this to make an extra buck in the name of our children....Sad!!!!

 

[Safferz]

What on earth are you talking about, Madoobe? Jim Spyropoulos isn't a racist, and no one is making "an extra buck" off the Somali Task Force.

 

This article is a joke, and anyone familiar with the writer of the piece, Tarek Fatah, would understand why that is.

[Madoobe1508736697]

Jim not Racist! His messages sound a lot discriminatory…

 

Meeting minutes taken at March Tuesday March 19, 2013

(Superintendent Jim believed that the questions were great and that he wanted to highlight the Indigenous community’s process of questions and how it was different because they took on the traditional circle approach because they saw structured questions as colonial to their Healing. Jim believed this was useful because he sees the Indigenous community and Somali community as similar).

Hey I didn’t right this…the SOMALI TASK FORCE note takers did!!!

What a baloney....Jim sees the Somalis and the Indigenous community as similar!!! Where is the Indigenous community today? Yes they are under Task Force designed for them as well....just like the one he is pushing to create for our children of Somali descent....

 

Mr. Safferz, Perhaps you should do a little more reading and less writing...to get the facts...before you blindly support anyone….

 

[DoctorKenney]

<cite>

@Safferz

said:</cite>

What on earth are you talking about, Madoobe? Jim Spyropoulos isn't a racist, and no one is making "an extra buck" off the Somali Task Force.

 

This article is a joke, and anyone familiar with the writer of the piece, Tarek Fatah, would understand why that is.

 

LOLL Safferz

 

Tarek Fatah!!?? Wasn't he that guy who claimed that the Toronto Police were "infiltrated by Islamo-Fascists" because the Police refused to prosecute a 17 year old Somali girl who threatened him online?? Wasn't he the man who claimed that Huma Abedin (Hilary Clinton's advisor) is an agent of the Muslim Brotherhood? Wasn't he the one who accused NOAM CHOMSKY of being an Islamist?

 

How is Tarek Fatah even allowed to be taken seriously? He's a delusional old man who says whatever he likes, and I don't understand why this man is even given a voice!

[Safferz]

That's the one, DK. Basically his MO is shoring up panic among Canadians about "sharia law" creeping into Canadian society, so he tends to target things like Islamic schools, Islamic banking, the niqab, etc and appear during whatever given islamophobic episode is taking place in the country. Right now he's not so much in the public eye (and the Toronto Sun is a notoriously right wing newspaper no one cares to read, I should add), but if, say, Quebec is trying to pass controversial laws to affirm 'secular values' using coded xenophobic and islamophobic language? Tarek Fatah is everywhere.

 

I find it fascinating that he's now become an ally of the Somalis against the TDSB Somali task force, but I suppose it makes sense when one considers his anti-immigrant and islamophobic stances -- for him, efforts made to help Somali children is the school board "accommodating" an immigrant Muslim minority, treating them differently from "regular Canadians," etc. It's perfectly rational and logically consistent with his public persona.

[DoctorKenney]

<cite>

@Safferz

said:</cite>

That's the one, DK. Basically his MO is shoring up panic among Canadians about "sharia law" creeping into Canadian society, so he tends to target things like Islamic schools, Islamic banking, the niqab, etc and appear during whatever given islamophobic episode is taking place in the country. Right now he's not so much in the public eye (and the Toronto Sun is a notoriously right wing newspaper no one cares to read, I should add), but if, say, Quebec is trying to pass controversial laws to affirm 'secular values' using coded xenophobic and islamophobic language? Tarek Fatah is everywhere.

 

I find it fascinating that he's now become an ally of the Somalis against the TDSB Somali task force, but I suppose it makes sense when one considers his anti-immigrant and islamophobic stances -- for him, efforts made to help Somali children is the school board "accommodating" an immigrant Muslim minority, treating them differently from "regular Canadians," etc. It's perfectly rational and logically consistent with his public persona.

 

I'm still shocked at how this man became the public spokesman of Canadian Muslims!? Wasn't he the Chairman of the Muslim Canadian Congress? He was the man who prevented Shariah Islamic Banking from being established in Ontario! The man who wants to ban Halal Slaughter of animals!

 

I recall a few years ago, my Sister told me a story about how a school in Northern Toronto, had about 400 students that were Muslim. And the school had about 1500 students in total. So these students used to walk to the mosque which was 20 minutes away from the school, for their Friday prayers. Obviously, walking 20 mins to and from the Mosque as well as praying the Jumuah Prayer is going to make you late for classes, as anyone should know. So the School Principal made a deal with the local Imam, where the Imam would come to the school cafeteria at lunchtime and give the Khutbah then. And the students can pray their Friday Prayer in the school cafeteria! Great idea isn't it? The kids can pray and still make it to class on time. Tarek Fatah, on the other hand, the "Spokesman" of the Muslim community, wanted to block this from happening and claimed that the TDSB was being "infiltrated" by Islamists. He wanted to prevent these kids from praying in the cafeteria. Even though no one was complaining about it and it satisfied literally everyone

 

Why aren't the Muslims in Canada disowning this charlatan? What qualifications does he even have to become the self-styled spokesman of the Muslim-Canadian community?

 

 

Tarek Fatah is not an ally of the Somali community. Far from it actually. He only supports these protests because it supports his narrative, and he'd like nothing more than Somali boys and girls to be marginalized. And he's playing his Somali-Canadian supporters as fools

[Safferz]

He's more of a self-appointed spokesperson... has absolutely zero credibility among Muslims but manages to insert himself in controversies as a professional troll. It's not so much that Muslims haven't disowned him, but the media constantly allowing him to emerge as a voice on these matters, and you can't blame them when he has worked hard to position himself as such.

[DoctorKenney]

So this man makes a living off of being their "token" Muslim. Whenever the Canadian Media wants a so-called Muslim perspective on an issue, they bring this man into the spotlight where he rambles on for 10 minutes about "Islamo-fascists" and the "Muslim Brotherhood is taking over Canada"

 

If that's how this man makes his living, then he's just a person who's sold all his self-respect for a few dollars. I've listened to him talk. He's bumbling, self-contradictory, without coherent points, and he's in way over his head.

 

But if he has zero credibility in Canada, then that's definitely good news.

[DoctorKenney]

Safferz if you're in Canada, I suggest you directly confront the Canadian-Somali Congress. Contact that organization and give them your side of the story. Go directly to the President of that Organization and tell him of the benefits of his Task-Force, unless he himself is protesting the existence of the Somali Task-Force.

 

Because the way I look at it, this Task-Force is about to be shut down. It's getting too much negative media attention and it doesn't look like it's dying down anytime soon.

[Safferz]

<cite>

@DoctorKenney

said:</cite>

Safferz if you're in Canada, I suggest you directly confront the Canadian-Somali Congress. Contact that organization and give them your side of the story. Go directly to the President of that Organization and tell him of the benefits of his Task-Force, unless he himself is protesting the existence of the Somali Task-Force.

 

Because the way I look at it, this Task-Force is about to be shut down. It's getting too much negative media attention and it doesn't look like it's dying down anytime soon.

 

I'm not in Canada. And the CSC and its president are useless, and if I remember correctly they've also spoken out against the task force (presumably because they weren't asked to spearhead it). These are the fools who created a Somali-Jewish mentorship project once where Jewish professionals 'mentor' Somali students while in return the Somali community - one of the poorest immigrant communities in Canada - would RAISE MONEY TO ESTABLISH A SCHOLARSHIP FOR JEWISH STUDENTS. LOL, I'm not kidding.

 

But I can assure you, the Somali task force is not under threat by this backlash, but it's worrying to see them losing the PR war here. Like LayZie said in the other task force thread, "waxaa la yidhi" news portal is strong in our community and I think the task force needs to be making a stronger effort in community outreach so that people understand what the task force is all about and what recommendations they've made for the school board. Although their meetings and presentations were all public, the question of access is important here - everyday Somali hoyos are just not going to attend a public school board meeting held in English or participate in the deputation process - what needs to happen are townhall style information meetings where Somalis are, at heavily Somali masjids and community centres, hell they could even be handing out flyers door to door with the recommendations translated into Somali in Somali areas of the city.

[DoctorKenney]

So the Canadian Somali Congress is part of this, right? This whole game where they attempt to shut it down as the self-appointed spokespersons of the Somali community?

 

This entire story is really infuriating. I've never heard of the CSC spearhead any attempts to bring public awareness to the disaster in the Somali community of Toronto, where kids are dropping out at such high rates. They're reactionary

 

P.S. LOL Are you kidding me? Somali students are mentored by Jewish professionals in exchange that we raise money to fund Jewish scholarships? Does the CSC know that this is a terrible rip-off? I'm struggling to wrap my head around this.

[Safferz]

Inane. The CSC has a particular narrative about Somali Canadians, almost assimilationist in its understanding of Somalis in Canadian society, and they have a need to mold us into a community that can be perceived by dominant society as successful, respectable and responsible citizens. It makes perfect sense that someone like Ahmed Hussen sees Jewish Canadians as a model for Somalis to aspire to. The problem here is that they are willing to sweep issues like the high dropout rate under the rug to focus on the "successes" of Somali Canadians.

 

Honestly I wish I still lived in Toronto right now, I'd offer my services to the Somali task force to manage their optics in the Somali community and beyond in the short term, as well as launch a longer term project of annihilating the CSC lool

[Khayr]

Saff,

 

You are such a green student.

Delusional and full of herself.

You can't change a damn thing because you are not a power broker.

 

No "task force" anywhere will stop the fact that Somalis everywhere in the diaspora are

ranked as the poorest. There hardly is a postive image about Somali communties. I don't blame

any youth for dropping out.

Reality speaks louder than task forces.

[Hawdian]

^ I dont get your point mate- being poor or new to a country is one thing but being self defeatist is another . The somali community has many extremely bright and resourcefull students but the question will they step up and lead their bulsho . And dropping out of school is something which should not be accepted from anybody . As the slogan said - stay in school kiddo.