An account of the reasons and implications of the removal of Omar Patel
Since Israel’s brutal response to the October 7 attacks and threatening militancy, almost 85 percent of Gazans have been displaced and over 30,000 murdered. Furthermore, the stranglehold on Gaza has led to a widespread inaccessibility of basic necessities such as clean water, food, and medical supplies. Such callous actions have led to a warranted uproar in the international community, including UofT.
Among those acknowledged for contributing to the uproar was Mr. Omar Patel, former Muslim Chaplain at UTSC. According to CBC, Mr. Patel’s role as Chaplain was suspended on December 1, in recent concerns of him allegedly propagating bigotry against the state of Israel. Evidence was provided in the form of a screenshot of Mr. Patel’s Instagram stories. He denies these accusations. In his statement to CBC, Mr. Patel holds the evidence as weak as the image failing to show his Instagram username or profile picture, two identifying indicators of the account that was posted. In response, after five days, the administrator sent a screenshot including both features; however, the story ‘tagged’ two fake accounts.
The Strand reached out to UTSC Acting Vice-President and Principal, Linda Johnston, for a response to these concerns. In her statement, Dr. Johnston claims that the university took a “thorough fact-finding investigation” to reach an “appropriate action.” However, she abstained from providing further details of the investigation “for reasons of confidentiality and people’s privacy.” Dr. Johnston concluded by stating that she “encourage[s] the Muslim Chaplaincy of Toronto to make other chaplains available to our students as soon as possible.” However, the Chaplaincy demands Mr. Patel’s reinstatement and is encouraging UofT students and alumni to email the administration and sign a relevant petition to help accomplish this.
In his interview with CBC, Mr. Patel characterises this investigation as conducted in “bad faith” and is “considering legal action.”
Although Mr. Patel’s removal casts doubt on UofT’s investigatory means of addressing campus concerns, it also leaves an underlying impact on student mental health. In recent years, the university has attempted to take drastic steps to ensure student mental well-being such as “eliminating wait times for mental health appointments,” “renovating student health and wellness spaces,” and providing “same-day mental health consultations.” Among those who aid in maintaining student mental wellness are the multi-faith chaplains by providing spiritual guidance and psychotherapy counselling. As a trained psychotherapist counsellor and Muslim Chaplain, Mr. Patel was part of this aid.
In addressing this concern, Dr. Johnston holds that the “spiritual support” provided by the chaplains is distinct from “mental health.” As a result, she directs students to receive mental health support from the UTSC Health and Wellness clinic. Furthermore, she characterises the clinic’s services as inclusive by highlighting its “staff that self-identify as Muslim.”
