Loved ones of Queen’s alumnus Mansour Shouman, Sci ’05, haven’t seen or heard from Shouman since he left Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza on Jan. 21.
Eyewitnesses said Shouman, a Palestinian-Canadian, was apprehended by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), although the allegations remain unconfirmed. On campus, students part of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights at Queen’s (SPHR) marched through campus on Jan. 31 demanding Queen’s publicly call for Mansour Shouman’s immediate release.
Trained as an engineer, Shouman has been documenting the war in the Gaza Strip since fighting erupted in October. His is wife and five children left Gaza in November for Abu Dhabi, but Shouman stayed behind, feeling it was his duty to rally support for Palestinian civilians.
READ MORE: War shatters normalcy for Queen’s alumnus living in Gaza
Having lived with Shouman while in residence at Queen’s, Ayaz Hyder remembers him as “a big teddy bear.” Hyder described Shouman as someone others looked up to, leading prayers for other Muslim students in the old JDUC.
“He was just someone who was really a man of his convictions,” Hyder said in an interview with The Journal. “He knew what he wanted, he went out after it, and he got it. And he was right, he was always on the right side of things.”
Hyder transferred universities during his undergrad, but reconnected with Shouman in January to thank him for being a bridge between the plight of Palestinians living in Gaza and the Western media. Hyder said the two men exchanged words of support.
Leveraging his connection to the West, Shouman became an international spokesperson for Palestinians, using his voice to raise $500,000 in funds and food donations for Gazans in need, all while sleeping on a single mattress without sheets in a hospital room-turned-media centre.
Growing up in the shadow of 9/11 and being Canadian-Muslim university students was difficult, Hyder explained. Both he and Shouman have come a long way, now professionals, husbands, and fathers.
“I don’t think we ever thought our kids would have to deal with these things, that our kids would have to deal with Islamophobia the way we dealt with it,” Hyder said.
Hyder never expected for his friend to be stuck, missing, in Palestine. He hopes for Shouman’s safe return home and encourages Queen’s students to cherish the time they have with each other because “you never know who they will become.”
“They might be goofballs now, but they might grow up and change the world,” he added.
At a rally in Toronto, Shouman’s mother Mai Hussein called the past two weeks “the worst experience of [her] life.” She told a crowd her biggest fear was for her son to be forgotten and begged everyone to continue talking about Shouman and saying his name.
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Every day since his disappearance, Hussein has taken to social media calling for her son. She’s asking the Canadian government to confirm if Shouman is in the IDF’s custody.
“If they, Canada, can arrange for me to go to Gaza, or Rafah, or to Israel and see my son or look for my son, I will do it,” Hussein said in an interview with CHCH.
There’s no updated information from Canada’s Foreign Affairs Office, Hussein said on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Feb. 1, after claiming to have spoken with Minister Mélanie Joly on the phone.
Global Affairs Canada confirmed a Canadian is missing in Gaza, but didn’t disclose any additional information to The Journal, citing “privacy considerations.” Media relations for the IDF responded to The Journal’s request for comment but required an “ID number” for Shouman to provide any information.
Queen’s SPHR criticized the University for not providing comfort, or taking a stance, on Shouman’s disappearance. As of Feb. 6, Shouman has been missing for 15 days.
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