York University student's request not to work with women sti

[survivor]

York University student's request not to work with women stirs controversy

http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/york ... troversy-2

A York University student taking an online course is seeking to be excused from group work because his religious beliefs forbid him from meeting with female classmates.

His professor at the Toronto university, Paul Grayson, rejected his request, which ignited a controversy at the university about human rights.

"I was quite shocked," Grayson told CBC-Radio's Ontario Today. He said he did not know the religion of the student, but fundamentally did not agree with accommodating him.

The sociology professor got in touch with the Centre for Human Rights and the dean's office at York. Both replied that he had to comply with the student's request, with the dean issuing three separate orders to comply.

"I basically refused," said Grayson. "My main concern was that for religious beliefs, we also can justify not interacting with Jews, blacks, gays, you name it. And if this were allowed to go through, then all these other absurd demands could be made."

Grayson said accommodating the student would be against everything he stands for.

"Women for 50 years have been making gains in universities," said the professor. "This takes us back to the dark ages as far as I'm concerned. It's completely unacceptable."

The communication between Grayson and the university took about three months. In that time, Grayson had a conversation with the student directly about his request.

"Very early in the game, I got in touch with the student and said, look, I'm sorry, I simply cannot accommodate you. And his reaction basically was, oh, OK. And he was OK with it. The student is not the problem."

The student participated in the group project, ultimately. But Grayson said the university ordered him to make it clear to the student that he did not have to meet with female classmates.

The university issued a statement saying it is committed to respecting religious beliefs, but said the case was "complicated by the fact that it was an online course where alternative arrangements were put in place to accommodate students who were unavailable to attend classes on campus."

Federal politicians back professor

A handful of federal politicians say they agree with the professor and that the school went too far in siding with the student.

Justice Minister Peter MacKay said that having men and women attend school together was precisely what Canada fought to accomplish when it sent soldiers to Afghanistan.

Liberal MP Judy Sgro, who represents the riding of York West in which the university is located, said the professor made the right decision. Conservative MP Mark Adler, who represents the adjacent riding of York Centre, says there is no place in Canadian society for sexism

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said universities should not be accommodating such a demand.

I wonder if the student with his wierd demand of not mixing with women students is following the so called religion of peace?

[survivor]

University slammed for religious exception
http://news.ca.msn.com/canada/universit ... -exception

OTTAWA - Federal MPs of all political stripes took a Toronto university to task Tuesday for siding with a male student who requested that he be excused from participating in a group project with women.

The York University student, whose name has not been released, cited religious grounds for the request. His religion is unclear.

Sociology professor Paul Grayson originally rejected the man's request that he be allowed to skip a group project last fall; the student went on to meet with his female classmates as scheduled.

But Grayson said he was later told by the dean of the faculty of liberal arts and professional studies that the student should have been accommodated, since the request did not have a 'substantial impact' on the rights of other students.

"York is a public secular university with a commitment to equality," Grayson wrote in a Dec. 9 report on the matter that was provided to The Canadian Press.

"As a result, my initial assessment was that to grant the accommodation would be to give tacit support to a negative view of women."

A statement from the university said it based its decision on a number of factors, including consideration of the Ontario Human Rights Code, the individual circumstances, the requirements of the law and the academic requirements of the course.

"A deciding factor in this case was that it was an online course where another student had previously been given permission to complete the course requirement off-campus," said Rhonda Lenton, the university's vice-president academic.

"Ultimately, a satisfactory agreement was reached between the professor and the student."

The administration's position found no support among federal MPs asked about the controversy Tuesday.

"This is what we've tried to combat in places like Afghanistan," Justice Minister Peter MacKay said in an interview.

"Building schools there, and ensuring now that millions of girls are able to attend school alongside boys, I believe, is a very positive accomplishment of our country."

Added NDP Leader Tom Mulcair: "I don't think a university should be accommodating such a demand."

Parliamentarians with ridings in the vicinity of York also weighed in.

"It's nothing short of ridiculous," Liberal MP Judy Sgro said of the student's request. "We live in a country seeking gender equality.... This is Canada, pure and simple."

Conservative MP Mark Adler said in an email that the school "needs to realize that this kind of sexism has no place in Canadian society."

It's not the first time the question of accommodating religious beliefs has made waves in Ottawa.

The Quebec government is currently holding hearings into its proposed charter of values, which would restrict the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols such as turbans and hijabs by public-sector workers.

Federal parties, with the exception of the Bloc Quebecois, have roundly criticized the legislation as unnecessary and infringing on religious freedom.

But MPs have shown their own thresholds for such accommodations in the past. For example, there has been collective support for insisting voters show their faces while casting a ballot during federal elections.

[manfred]

My religion forbids me to sit exams, written or aural. Therefore I should pass without them. My religion also forbids me from studying anything. How dare you not giving me a degree. My religion forbids me to take a job, so the government must give me money.

It seems the more genius a claim is the more chances it has to be heard.

What the reaction of the university tells us is how scared people are. The student simple needed to be told that he knew the requirements of his course when he started. If he could not or would not meet them, he should have done something else. If you want to pass you do what all students have to do.