Muslim woman forced to flee for her life because of photo of niqab-wearing woman holding bra

Can you imagine trying to murder this woman because of this photo? Islamic supremacist rage and death threats come to Canada -- but remember, it's only "hate" if you disapprove of the Muslim intimidation and thuggery. "Controversial conversation continues due to cultural art," by Taylor Rocca for The Omega, April 11:

Unfamiliar pill bottles have become all too familiar to Sooraya Graham. Anti-depressants and anxiety medication have found a home in her life where they were previously unwelcome and unneeded.

Graham sits at home, wondering what she ever did to deserve such a fate.

Kamloops, the city she once called home, is now just a memory. While Graham wishes it were a more distant one, this memory remains very much at the forefront of her life. Living more than 800 kilometres from Kamloops is enough to remind her on a daily basis. Citing safety reasons, Graham requested her specific location not be revealed.

Apart from being uprooted and reliant on medications just to get by, Graham is also slowly giving up her religion, that until the past year, was an integral part of her.

All of this is a direct result of one innocent but provocative piece of artwork.

In March 2012¸Graham went through one of the most trying experiences any budding artist can experience.

Graham — a Canadian Muslim — was, at the time, a fourth-year fine arts student at Thompson Rivers University (TRU).

After composing a breath-taking photograph intended to foster a societal discussion about women — particularly Muslim women and the niqab, or face veil — Graham put her artwork on display as part of a class project for TRU fine arts professor Ernie Kroeger.

“I was trying to create a discussion point for Muslim women, for veiled women and to kind of just show light of how we are just normal women,” Graham said in a March 2012 interview in The Omega.

The reaction that followed was beyond anything she had ever imagined.

According to Graham, her artwork was stripped down from its display and taken away by then TRU World international student advisor, Sahar Alnakeb.

“They weren’t willing to give it to me if I was going to put it back on the wall,” Graham said in March 2012. “They were holding it hostage, I guess you could say.

“We’re always told that our voice is important and that we can say something with our art. It is shocking when someone tries to silence that.”

Alnakeb, also a female Muslim, left her business card on the wall in place of Graham’s work. She would eventually return the work to Graham, after which it would was put back on display. TRU also compensated Graham for damage to the piece.

Alnakeb would issue an apology to Graham via email.

“As an International Student Advisor I do apologize for removing your picture, at that time I was aiming to support my female Muslim students who have found it offensive [to] students but now I see it was a mistake. Sorry for the inconvenience,” was all that Alnakeb wrote to Graham on Wednesday, April 11, 2012.

The two never met in person after the incident.

Alnakeb refused to comment when approached for the purposes of this story.

While it might have been the end, it was only the beginning of the Sooraya Graham story.

A media frenzy would follow, with CBC and Huffington Post just two of the media outlets bringing national and international attention to the story.

“You know, that 15 minutes of fame, I wanted it to be literally 15 minutes and done,” Graham said. “I wanted the injustice to be solved because when Sahar did that, she pushed so many boundaries.”

After the story quieted down within the media, things did not follow suit in Graham’s life. She received death threats via email, hate messages were stuck on her car windshield and the front door to her home, the tail light on her car was broken and she was followed around campus by other Muslim students who disapproved of her art. She wasn’t comfortable going to, from or within school without travelling in a group.

“I didn’t feel safe on campus. I went to a counsellor and told her about it and I was stressed,” Graham said. “I tried to express it. But at the same time, I had no proof. They just said, ‘Oh, you’re just being paranoid.’”

According to Graham, she relayed these concerns to Doug Buis, fine arts advisor, as well as Duane Seibel, director of judicial and student affairs.

Buis was unavailable for comment. Seibel maintains Graham never presented these concerns to him.

“The office of judicial and student affairs has been in touch with Ms. Graham as recently as January 21 in preparation for the release of documents as part [of] the freedom of information request made by The Omega,” said Christopher Seguin, vice president advancement.

It wasn’t only on campus and online where the issue confronted Graham. She recalled an incident in Sahali Mall, where she said she was minding her own business picking up groceries and was confronted by a man who yelled at her in the middle of the grocery store.

Eventually, Graham’s parents would convince her to pick up and leave TRU and Kamloops. Not only was she leaving behind her city and her university, she was leaving behind four years of studies towards her fine arts degree, which she has still been unable to complete. Now she doesn’t even know if she wants to finish her degree and has come to the conclusion that she certainly does not want to pursue a career as an artist, as she once did.

“In our discussion, Ms. Graham had mentioned that she moved [to a new location] and that things had become uncomfortable for her in Kamloops but there was no mention of safety concerns,” Seguin said. “If Ms. Graham spoke to a faculty or other staff member, it was not brought to the attention of staff in student affairs, as we would have taken any safety concerns very seriously. It was our understanding that the decision to move related to other unrelated issues.”

Things did not improve upon leaving Kamloops.

“When I first moved here, I didn’t leave my house for the first 13 weeks,” Graham said.

“I’ve gone to mental health tons of times. I’m on antidepressants, which I’ve never been on. I have to take anxiety pills. It’s just over that one thing. It’s pretty messed up.”

As a direct result of the incident, Graham has found herself slowly losing touch with her religion, something that was once so important to her. She is no longer allowed to travel to places in the Muslim world like Saudi Arabia, Qatar or Dubai due to the danger she faces after her artwork and story circulated the international Muslim community.

“As a Muslim, what do I do about Mecca? That’s gone for me now. Permanently,” Graham said. “It’s an R.E.M. song. I’m losing my religion. It’s changed me. At this time, maybe it’s a good thing.”...

Original link:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/04/canada-muslim-woman-forced-to-flee-for-her-life-because-of-photo-of-niqab-wearing-woman-holding-bra.html