MEICON 2025 Special Panel | Combating Academic Unfreedom & State Repression 

Saturday, March 15
Harbour Centre Room

About This Event

In light of the recent wave of state repression of Palestine solidarity activism, it’s imperative that we reflect on how to maintain the integrity of the anti-Zionist movement in so-called “vancouver” and deepen its potential to effect real change in Palestine. Thus, Embark Sustainability and the Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG) convened this panel to discuss the specific role of intellectuals in challenging academic unfreedom in so-called “vancouver” and the concomitant state repression of anti-Zionist organizing. In an attempt to address the gap that often exists between theory and practice in the Ivory Tower, we want to hold space for intellectuals and community members to come together so that we reconsider and reimagine the responsibilities of our intellectuals in the struggle against colonialism and, in conversation with community, begin to illuminate a concrete path forward for academics and intellectuals in so-called “vancouver.”

Panelists:

Sara Kishawi

Sara Kishawi is from Gaza, Palestine. She graduated with a sociology degree. Sara was the spokesperson for the Palestine Solidarity Encampment at Vancouver Island University, a role which led to a post-graduation suspension by the university.

Balqees Jama

Balqees is a facilitator and community developer at PeerNetBC, where she delivers interactive workshops on peer-based learning, community organizing, and decolonial frameworks. As a Communications student at Simon Fraser University, she has been deeply involved in institutional advocacy, playing a key role in joint initiatives such as the establishment of the SFU VP People, Equity, & Inclusion office, the cluster hiring of Black faculty, and SFU’s divestment from fossil fuels. She spearheaded efforts to protect marginalized student community spaces from displacement. Balqees’ work is rooted in solidarity with anti-colonial and anti-racist movements, with a particular focus on the intersections of academia and grassroots organizing. In recognition of her contributions, she was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Black Women to Watch (CIBWE) in 2022 and was nominated for the 2024 YWCA Women of Distinction Award.

Zeyad el Nabolsy

Zeyad el Nabolsy is an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy at York University. He specializes in the history of African philosophy broadly conceived. He has previously published on ancient Egyptian philosophy, Amílcar Cabral’s philosophy of culture, Paulin Hountondji’s theory of science, African Marxism, African communalism, and Olaudah Equiano as a philosopher of the Enlightenment, among other topics.

Moderators:

Marie Haddad

Marie, a Coptic Egyptian, serves as the Director of Engagement at Embark Sustainability Society, where she develops and leads inclusive, community-focused initiatives. Before taking on this role, she spent five years as a student organizer dedicated to advancing equitable and sustainable education, uplifting marginalized communities, and championing intersectionality, anti-oppression, and anti-racism. As the inaugural VP of Equity and Sustainability at the SFSS, Marie helped drive landmark joint-campaigns such as the 15 Black Faculty Cluster Hiring, and SFU’s multi-million-dollar fossil fuel divestment - and led B.C.’s first unanimously passed policy on Palestinian Liberation and BDS at the SFSS, later adopted as a bylaw. She remains deeply committed to building strong communities and fostering transformative change.

Noëll Cousins

Noëll works as the Director of Engagement at the Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group and, in her role, seeks to strengthen the community of organizations on SFU’s campus fighting for social and economic justice. As an undergraduate at Brown University, she participated in the Brown Divest Coalition and helped to win their student divestment referendum in 2019 and their divestment recommendation from the university’s corporate responsibility advisory; these victories were ultimately followed by a restructuring of the decision-making bodies of the university and the arbitrary firing of staff associated with political organizing hubs on campus. Today, she’s most interested in doing work related to building socialism and developing the political consciousness of the People.

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The Middle East and Islamic Consortium of British Columbia (MEICON-BC) was founded in 2008 as a collaborative project of Simon Fraser University (CCMS), the University of Victoria (MEICON Working Group), and the University of British Columbia (UBC Middle East Studies) with the participation of other British Columbian universities and colleges. Its purpose is to provide an organizational basis for communication and cooperation among all British Columbian academics interested in the study of the Middle East and Muslim societies and cultures. They host an annual student conference (typically held in March of each year), where students are invited to present their papers and receive feedback and support in a lively and nurturing environment.

This event was part of MEICON 2025. MEICON 2025 was hosted by the Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies at SFU, SFU School for International Studies, SFU Department of History, SFU School of Communication, SFU Department of Sociology and Anthropology, SFU Department of Global Humanities, SFU School for the Contemporary Arts, SFU Department of Geography, SFU Institute for the Humanities, SFU Department of World Languages and Literatures, SFU Global Asia, University of Victoria MEICON Working Group, and UBC Middle East Studies.