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Controversy over student's photo of a Muslim woman holding a bra
 Muslim-Canadian Sooraya Graham, a fine arts student at a university in British Columbia, didn't expect to find herself in the middle of a virtual hostage-taking when her project for a photography class was hung in the hallways of the university's art department. Her photo, a mural print of a woman wearing full Islamic dress and holding a bra in her hands while folding laundry, was torn off the wall by an outraged university staffer.Graham found out last Friday after overhearing some students discussing the removal of "an offensive poster." She discovered the work in question was hers, and that the culprit had left a business card. It was a woman on faculty as an international adviser. Graham said, "She had taken it to her office and held it hostage. She didn't want to return it unless I agreed not to hang it up again." Graham said the dean immediately defended the work. The photo was returned and hung in a campus gallery, although it had been ripped during its removal. Christopher Seguin, vice-president of advancement at the university said they fully stand behind the work and the incident does not reflect the views of the university. He acknowledged the photograph has provoked a heated debate among the student body and in the local Muslim community. "We listen to the concerns of all our stakeholders, but we maintain freedom of expression on our campus. There is nothing condoning hatred in this work, it is not a rude piece of art and we stand behind it." Members of the Saudi Education Centre in Kamloops have spoken out in the media, criticizing Graham's photo mural and calling for her to post an explanation with the photo. Graham, who is Muslim but not of Saudi origin, said she doesn't believe the work needs to be explained. She said she chose the photo for the exhibit because "it humanizes the veiled woman." Graham, who wears the niqab herself, said, "You often see the stereotype of the veiled woman being oppressed. We all wear the same undergarments, do laundry, go shopping. I was leaving it open-ended for others to interpret the photo in their own way." Posted by: ryuge 2012-04-13 |
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