University of Toronto rejects report alleging discrimination against Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians
The university says it cannot accept the findings of its own working group but promises to take immediate steps to address bias.
TORONTO · The University of Toronto has rejected a nearly 300-page report from its own working group that found a "general pattern of over-policing and under-protecting" Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians on its campuses. The university said on Thursday it cannot accept the report or its 57 recommendations, arguing the document "departs significantly from past equity reports" by including "lengthy commentary about events abroad." The school nonetheless promised to take immediate actions to address discrimination against those groups. The report and the university's written response were both released online as part of what the school called its commitment to transparency.
The report is based on consultations with 85 people and small groups and 525 survey responses from students, staff, faculty and librarians across the university's three campuses, conducted between March 2025 and January 2026. The university said it received the final report a month ago. The document describes restrictions on speech and events, inconsistent complaint processes, and double standards in the enforcement of rules around protests and postering. It also cites repeated complaints about the university's successful litigation to remove a pro-Palestinian encampment from campus two years ago.
"The most prevalent pattern we encountered, however, was a generalized ignorance of the histories, cultures, and lived experiences of Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians, and the ways in which anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian discrimination and harassment take shape," the report said.
The working group also heard about stereotypes painting Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians as terrorists, misogynists and antisemites. The report said there were recurring concerns that "the university's institutional commitment to radical, critical teaching and research suffers from a Palestine exception." It noted instances where research or outreach activities of interest to those communities were viewed as antisemitism calling for disciplinary action. The consultations showed that "what happens around the world has implications locally on our campus, in our hallways, and in our classrooms," the report said.
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The report's 57 recommendations include reviewing safety and risk metrics, ensuring protests are policed in a content-neutral manner, and issuing stronger guidance to administrators on procedural fairness. Other recommendations address potential bias in the university's partnerships with organizations like school boards and hospitals. One example cited says many clinical faculty reported "being cited for unprofessionalism when signing an open letter supporting medical workers in Gaza." The report also recommends the university consider an absolute prohibition on investments that aid violations of international law.
In its response, the university acknowledged that anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian discrimination exists at the school and said it is committed to addressing the issue. The administration said it is understandable that the working group and university leaders would not fully agree, "nor about the ideal responses to those issues, particularly given the fraught circumstances, passionate feelings, and ongoing global conflict informing many of the situations described." The school said that while the report will validate many community members, "aspects will also be offensive and upsetting to other members of our community, including some Jewish and Israeli colleagues and students." The university cited multiple reasons for rejecting the report, including that some recommendations clash with collective agreements and academic freedom protections, some fall outside the university's jurisdiction, and some do not align with the school's "position of institutional restraint." Despite this rejection, the university outlined several immediate actions it will take. It said it already offers spaces for Muslim prayer but will do more work to ensure appropriate Muslim prayer and multi-faith spaces on each of its three campuses. The school's new office of human rights, equity and inclusion will release an e-module on discrimination against Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians and hold an information session for members of its governing council. "The university has supported and is committed to continued support for a range of scholarly activities, including research related to Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities, as well as academic initiatives focused on Palestinian history and culture," it said in its statement. The report noted that its consultations began in 2025 as Israel continued its campaign of large-scale violence in Gaza and the region, and that campus experiences were refracted through that global conflict.
With files from The Canadian Press, Global News and CityNews