Addressing Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Discrimination at the University of Toronto

Importance of this Educational Resource

This resource has been prepared in the context of complaints of anti-Muslim,* anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian discrimination at the University of Toronto and across our broader society. This resource is intended to reaffirm the University of Toronto’s commitment to providing welcoming and inclusive environments for working, learning, and research. Anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian discrimination is treated by the University in the same way as discrimination and harassment against other members of our community, with complaints resolution supports and educational awareness programming. Below you will find a non-exhaustive list of examples of conduct that may be regarded as anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian harassment and/or discrimination based on race, creed (e.g. religion), place of origin, or ethnic origin.

* For the purposes of this web resource, Islamophobia and anti-Muslim discrimination will be used synonymously.

History of Addressing anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian Discrimination at the University of Toronto

The University of Toronto’s efforts to address human rights-related discrimination and harassment was formally entrenched in institutional statements including the Statement on Human Rights (2012) and the Statement on Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment (1994), the latter of which was reviewed in 2025. As a result of this review, the University will be adopting a new policy on human rights discrimination and harassment.

In recognition of the fact that discrimination and/or harassment may include conduct and comments against Muslim, Arab and Palestinian community members, the University established an Institutional Advisory Table in 2017. By 2019, this evolved into the Anti-Islamophobia Working Group (AIWG).

In a further effort to combat anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian discrimination and harassment at the University, the Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian Discrimination Working Group (MAP DWG) commenced consultations in Winter 2025. Its mandate was to review programming, activities, processes, and practices in place at the institution and make recommendations to support the University of Toronto’s response to experiences of anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian discrimination.

This resource does not rely on external definitions. While such definitions often include lists or examples for clarification and are created for various purposes, they do not reflect the University’s specific policy or legal context—particularly its core commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression. The University of Toronto’s Statement of Institutional Purpose reinforces this position:

“[T]hese rights [of freedom of speech, academic freedom and freedom of research] are meaningless unless they entail the right to raise deeply disturbing questions and provocative challenges to the cherished beliefs of society at large and of the University itself.”

This web resource does not establish a new policy. Its purpose is to explain the implications of the existing legal and policy framework. Any actions taken in response to anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, or anti-Palestinian incidents will follow the applicable policies and/or laws referenced in this resource.

Legal Context

All members of the University of Toronto community have a right to learn, live, work, and research in an environment that is free of discrimination and harassment. The University upholds its responsibility to address and respond to complaints and incidents of harassment and discrimination with utmost seriousness.

This responsibility is guided by the Ontario Human Rights Code, which prohibits discrimination and harassment based on enumerated grounds, including race, ancestry, place of origin, ethnic origin, citizenship, and creed. These prohibitions protect all community members, including Muslim, Arab and Palestinian community members, from discrimination and harassment in working, learning, teaching, and research environments.

In addition to the guidance provided by the Code, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, 1990 was amended in 2024 to introduce new requirements for Ontario’s publicly assisted colleges and universities to have policies and rules that describe how each institution will address and combat racism and hate, including but not limited to anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Black racism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia.

Further to these legislative amendments, the Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, as part of the Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act, 2024 (formerly known as Bill 166), issued a directive on anti-racism and anti-hate for publicly assisted colleges and universities in September 2024. This directive requires institutions to identify how they are proactively creating an inclusive postsecondary environment free of discrimination and hate. This includes measures such as practices to support dialogue, early intervention, and de-escalation. This resource page on anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian discrimination is part of the University’s response to these requirements.

Additionally, the Criminal Code of Canada contains various offences related to “hate propaganda” at sections 318 to 319 including advocating genocide, public incitement of hatred, and willful promotion of hatred. These criminal law provisions constitute part of the legal landscape that informs this site’s guidance.

U of T Policy Context: Policies and Agreements

The University of Toronto has statements, policies, guidelines, and agreements that address anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian discrimination and the ways in which the University will respond to it, both directly and indirectly. Each of these policies and agreements, either explicitly or through established practices and pathways, provides an avenue for complaints to be received, appropriate inquiries and/or investigations to be pursued, and procedural fairness for the respondent.

Some members of the University community may also be subject to further requirements imposed and enforced by professional bodies external to the University of Toronto.

The Code of Student Conduct prohibits non-academic misconduct by students, including vexatious conduct that is known to be unwelcome based on several grounds identified in the Human Rights Code, as well as threats and bodily harm. The Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters prohibits academic misconduct by both students and faculty members and makes it an offence for a faculty member to evaluate the academic work of a student “by reference to any criterion that does not relate to its merit,” including based on the prohibited grounds of discrimination set out in the Human Rights Code.

In addition to relevant University of Toronto policies, Postgraduate Residents and Clinical Fellows in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine are required to comply with the standards established by professional and regulatory bodies, their relevant clinical setting, and Temerty Faculty of Medicine Professionalism Requirements, including (but not limited to) the Guidelines for Appropriate Use of the Internet, Electronic Networking and Other Media. All Health Professional Students are required to comply with the Standards of Professional Practice Behaviour for All Health Professional Students.

In the employment context, the Policy with Respect to Workplace Harassment and the Guideline for Employees on Concerns and Complaints Regarding Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment prohibit workplace harassment based on the grounds in the Human Rights Code. Relatedly, the Policy with Respect to Workplace Violence and the Workplace Violence Program prohibit workplace violence, including attempted violence and threats of violence. Additionally, the Human Resources Guideline on Workplace Harassment and Civil Conduct sets out the expectations regarding the standard of civil conduct that the University requires all employees to maintain in dealings with each other.

Several agreements between the University of Toronto and unionized employee groups layer further commitments on the University’s legal and policy framework. Collective agreements with labour unions include non-discrimination clauses that encompass the grounds set out in the Human Rights Code.

Agreements between the University of Toronto and University of Toronto Faculty Association introduce additional commitments to augment this legal and policy framework. For example, Articles 5 and 9 of the Memorandum of Agreement between the Governing Council of the University of Toronto and the University of Toronto Faculty Association (MoA) impose several requirements of faculty members and librarians in their dealings with students and colleagues. The MoA prohibits discrimination based on each of the grounds in the Human Rights Code as well as discrimination based on political affiliation or belief.

The Standards of Professional Behaviour for Clinical Faculty articulate the University’s expectations for clinical faculty members in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (who are not governed by the MoA) in their interactions with any members of the University community. These include requirements that clinical faculty members comply with the Ontario Human Rights Code and refrain from engaging in harassing or discriminatory behaviour.

The University of Toronto has several Governing Council-approved documents that affirm both the University’s commitment to freedom of speech and academic freedom and its commitment to the “vigilant protection for individual human rights” and the right of every member of our community to live, teach, research, and learn in an environment free of discrimination and harassment. Exercising these rights should not result in harassment or discrimination of any member of the University community. These include the Statement of Institutional Purpose, the Statement on Freedom of Speech, the Statement on Equity, Diversity, and Excellence, the Statement on Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment, Procedures for the Temporary Use of Space, and the Statement on Human Rights.

Framework for Addressing Complaints

Complaints processes are the primary accountability mechanism for addressing experiences of anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian discrimination and harassment at the University of Toronto. Individuals do not need to identify as Muslim, Arab, or Palestinian to experience harassment or discrimination on these grounds; those who are mistakenly perceived as such may also be subjected to anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, or anti-Palestinian discrimination or harassment.

All complaints of anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian discrimination and harassment are taken seriously, are reviewed and addressed on a case-by-case basis and will include an assessment of how the concerns may relate to an individual’s role at the University. If you wish to file a complaint of discrimination or harassment, please go to the University of Toronto website, Complaints & Concerns about Discrimination & Harassment.

The University’s Statement on Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment (Statement) is an important component of the University’s commitment to keeping learning, teaching, and working environments free from discrimination and harassment.

Understanding the Institutional Response to Complaints

Violations of University policy or law

(see Legal Context and U of T Policy Context: Policies and Agreements)

Offensive but not unlawful conduct

Actions assessed not to be violations of University policy or law and require no further action

Actions or conduct will be investigated, and if proven to violate policy and/or law, discipline and/or restorative processes may result.

Some actions may be determined not to violate policy and/or law, but if appropriate, education, coaching, peer-to-peer conversations, or collegial interventions may occur.

All participants in the complaints process are provided with safety and wellness resources and supports.

Working with Community to Address anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian Discrimination

Anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian discrimination and harassment based on ancestry, creed (e.g., religion), ethnic origin, place of origin, and race create conditions in living, working, learning, teaching or research environments that limit the full participation of Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian community members and promote exclusion. The University is committed to the creation and maintenance of an inclusive environment for all University community members, including Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians.

Following consultations with our community, the University of Toronto has developed a non-exhaustive list of examples that it considers to be Islamophobic and/or discriminatory against Muslim, Arab and/or Palestinian community members that could invoke the use of our legal and policy framework. These examples can take many forms: they can be subtle or blatant; they may be verbal, written, or in-person communications; they may appear in various media, including signage and targeted email communications; and they can include social media posts linked to or referencing University of Toronto community members.

The University recognizes:

Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities are diverse, heterogenous, and have a wide range of perspectives and understandings of how anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian discrimination and harassment are experienced. There is a need to approach the experiences of these communities with respect for their distinct and unique identities while also acknowledging areas of interconnectedness, such as well-documented histories of marginalization and exclusion. Muslim, Arab and Palestinian communities in Canada have a range of connections to countries around the world, including many that identify themselves constitutionally as Islamic.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission’s concept of discrimination “acknowledges that individuals possess multiple interconnected identities, and that marginalization and exclusion based on [Human Rights] Code grounds can occur due to the intersection of these identities.” For example, Muslim, Arab, or Palestinian community members, including those with a place of origin and/or citizenship outside Canada, may experience discrimination on multiple grounds simultaneously.
Following the attacks on September 11, 2001, there were documented accounts of adverse impact, including experiences of racial profiling, on Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities across the country and this impact continues to affect those communities today. Actions directed at individual members of our community because they are Muslim, Arab, or Palestinian can be harassment, discrimination, and/or violate law or policy. These actions remain problematic when the terms “Muslim” or “Arab” or “Palestinian” are replaced with labels such as “Islamist,” the name(s) of terrorist entities, or a national identifier (e.g. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria). This proxy usage is distinct from criticisms of specific governments or their policies.
All complaints of anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian discrimination or harassment based on ancestry, creed (e.g., religion), ethnic origin, place of origin, and race are taken seriously and are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

This could include:

restricting the access of Muslim, Arab, or Palestinian community members to University spaces.
comments in class that single out students or instructors who are Muslim, Arab, or Palestinian to hold them responsible for the actions or alleged actions of other Muslim, Arab, or Palestinian people or of foreign governments and/or non-state actors, or that require them to distance themselves from certain policies as a precondition of participation in classes or events.
requiring that Muslim, Arab, or Palestinian members of the University community express or adhere to any specific views about Islam, the Arab World, and/or the Middle East, including Palestine, as a condition of entry to research spaces, and/or participation in research projects, classrooms, or University events.
denying Muslim, Arab, or Palestinian colleagues work assignments or opportunities because of their identity or assumptions about their political or religious views, including requirements to endorse statements on Islam, the Arab World, and/or the Middle East, including Palestine, as a condition of full participation in academic units.
denying Muslim, Arab, or Palestinian students, staff, faculty or librarians funding, scholarships, employment, or letters of support or recommendation because of their actual or assumed identity.

This may include vandalism of property on U of T’s campuses with slogans, images, caricatures, and statements that depict Muslims, Arabs, or Palestinians as foreign, disloyal, or as terrorists. Examples include statements such as “go back home” or slogans that incite violence towards Muslim, Arab and/or Palestinian peoples.

This may include, but is not limited to, caricatures, statements, and materials about Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians as being dangerous, uncivilized, threatening, or violent, directed towards members of the U of T community or displayed within the University.

This may include the failure or refusal to provide halal food options (including non-alcoholic beverages) when requested, or to attach conditions to its provision, during University-sanctioned events where food is being served; the failure to provide appropriate accommodations in the work, learning, or research environments for Muslims who observe traditional religious practices or holidays, such as daily prayers and/or fasting during the Islamic month of Ramadan; scheduling mandatory events without options for accommodation when events conflict with major Islamic holidays or observances; or requiring Muslim women to remove their hijab to participate in University activities.

This may include vexatious comments or actions directed towards Palestinians because of their identification with Palestine, vexatious comments or actions directed at members of the University community because of names, practices, food, jewelry (e.g. depicting the crescent moon, Arabic calligraphy, or other symbols), articles of clothing worn for religious observance (e.g. hijab), or expressions of national, or ethnic identity (e.g. keffiyeh).

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