One member of The Journal’s Masthead holds a position in QMLSA. They weren’t involved in the editing and reporting process of this story.
Queen’s Muslim Law Students Association (QMLSA) successfully advocated for a multi-faith room three years ago—now, they’re dealing with incidents of vandalism.
Two incidents on the building’s ground floor multi-faith room, also known as the Prayer Room, took place on Jan. 24 and another on March 7. According to QMLSA’s Co-President Iman Ahmed, Law ’25, the incidents raise concerns about campus safety and the broader cultural climate at the university.
The Prayer Room is open to all students but is predominately used by law students as a quiet space for prayer and spiritual meditation, Ahmed said in an interview with The Journal.
The first incident occurred when a member of QMLSA noticed a poster promoting past events—such as an Exam Hangout, Law School 101 Panel, and Iftar Dinner—had gone missing from its original spot on a shelf in the Prayer Room. When the poster was later found, there was a message written on the back in red and green markers that read, “Praise the devil, all hail Satan,” accompanied by drawings of devil horns.
“It felt very targeted at Muslim law students, especially because it was on our poster. […] There are a lot of weird types of Islamophobias that exist out there one is where people like to say that Muslims are devil worshipers. So, this [the first incident that] immediately made us think of that,” Ahmed said.
While QMLSA was still going back and forth with the Faculty of Law administration about what to do regarding the first incident, another one occurred on March 7.
While using the Prayer Room, a group of first-year law students found someone had erased the message on a whiteboard in the room, which read, “Please pray for the people of Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Syria,” and replaced it with “Long live Israel,” written in Hebrew. For Ahmed, the message was a call for solidarity with Muslims suffering in conflict zones around the world, replaced with what she described as anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia.
“To be perfectly honest, I didn’t think what we had written was controversial at all, and I thought erasing it was a little bit mean-spirited at the least, and hateful and anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia at the most,” Ahmed added.
For Ahmed, the incidents are reflective of a broader issue. She believes vandalizing the Prayer Room, a space for everyone, sends a troubling message about the university’s inclusivity and acceptance to other members of the community.
“When we allow things like this [incidents of vandalism] to happen and we don’t acknowledge it and recognize what it is, we’re saying that some people’s feelings, beliefs, and values, don’t matter. Some people’s humanity doesn’t matter,” Ahmed said.
After continuous advocacy from QMLSA, the Dean of the Faculty of Law, ColleenFlood sent an e-mail to all law students on March 13, acknowledging the incidents taking place and re-iterating the intolerance of “such behaviour,” especially when directed at a room intended for prayer and spiritual reflection.
In a statement to The Journal, the Faculty of Law reiterated its commitment to fostering a respectful and inclusive environment for all members of the law community. The statement said that potential safety measures are currentlybeing evaluated but didn’t expand on what this means.
“The faculty is evaluating appropriate steps, including potential security measures, to ensure that this space remains welcoming and conducive to its intended purpose. We urge all members of our community to use the Multifaith Room in a spirit of mutual respect and understanding,” the University said.
Looking ahead, Ahmed expressed hope progress. She believes the key to moving forward lies in community engagement, solidarity, and ensuring all students feel their rights and safety are respected.
Tags
faculty of law, Prayer Room, Queen’s Muslim Law Students Association, Vandalism
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.