Markham library CEO apologizes for removal of Islamic Heritage Month display amid calls for investigation

The Markham Public Library (MPL) CEO is apologizing after Islamic Heritage Month displays were removed from libraries temporarily during a review of the displays. It comes as the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) calls for an investigation and an employee of the library spoke out against the incident.

“My first reaction was one of surprise and discomfort. I also felt unsafe to be at work that day,” said the employee, whose identity CityNews has agreed to keep anonymous.

An email had been sent out to employees suggesting they remove Islamic Heritage Month displays. It said, “Given the current situation in the Middle East, it is best for us not to be actively promoting the Islamic Heritage Month, this will be perceived as we are taking a particular side.”

It refers to the recent violence in the Middle East. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, and at least 199 others, including children, were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza, according to Israel. The Gaza Health Ministry said 2,778 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded since the fighting broke out a week ago.

The individual who wrote the email said the directive came from the CEO Biss and “the Councillor.” It’s unclear the identity of the councillor mentioned in the email.

“If you currently have any merchandising around this topic, please take it down for now. If you haven’t put it up yet, please do not,” the email continued.

“Based on my impression, the concern about removing the displays was very incredibly Islamophobic and that they didn’t want to seem as though they were supporting Muslims while this conflict was actively occurring,” the employee told CityNews.

They added they also received talking points on what to say if someone asked why it had been removed. Shortly after, the employee said they were given separate notes on “what we could do to manage things in the event that anyone had concerns about why the displays were up in the library.”

At the employee’s branch, the displays were put back up with a disclaimer explaining why they were there.

Markham Public Library initially responded on Monday to the email, stating the email was inaccurate and confirming that the books on display for Islamic Heritage Month will remain present in all libraries for the remainder of October.

MPL CEO Catherine Biss apologized for the email and removal of the Islamic Heritage Month display and explained what led up to the incident in a press conference on Tuesday.

“I take accountability myself, I’m the CEO and as a result, everything that happens at MPL is my responsibility. I take full responsibility and I apologize to the community,” she said.

Biss said they had been monitoring feedback about the displays in light of the “international events around us” and discussed the matter with management.

“A message was sent out prematurely that did not reflect the normal protocols the MPL follows in dealing with concerns from the community, which is to thoroughly review the complaints and make determinations on the direction moving forward,” explained Biss.

She said while they were evaluating, they followed our normal protocol to remove the displays until the review was completed. “In retrospect, while we were following our normal process, I want to apologize for the confusion and the hurt that this has caused.”

Biss committed to completing a thorough review of the relevant policies and procedures and the employee who sent the email will be dealt with internally.

She also said regarding the email that, “The words in that message were taken out of context and can be interpreted differently than intended. It was simply a referral from a counsellor, which we receive all the time when there are issues that their constituents are aware of.”

As to why her name was mentioned, Biss said, “The management team reviewed the issue in the morning. We looked at all of the sides of the issue and we decided to follow our normal protocol, which is to withdraw the collection temporarily and then go through the normal decision-making process.”

She added the display was only removed for less than a day. The employee CityNews spoke with said the displays in their branch were removed for at least two business days.

“I can’t speak to what the branches themselves did. I can only tell them that the directive that we gave from management was to return the displays,” said Biss in response.

Councillor Ritch Lau, who is on the library board, said they found out about this directive at the same time as everyone else did and no one councillor has the power to make that decision.

He added no councillor has come forward as the one mentioned in the email. “So even today during lunch of a council meeting, I was actually asking my colleagues, is any of you involved in this issue like the other councillors? Nobody said yes.”

Lau said he spoke with the Deputy Mayor and both of them were shocked by the incident. He said they plan to hold an emergency meeting of the library board soon.

“This is not good for the city. It’s not good for the Muslim community.”

Aasiyah Khan, the Interim Chief Operating Officer at the NCCM, grew up in Markham and said this email has sent shockwaves through the Muslim and non-Muslim community members.

“A library is often a space where community comes together and of course, Islamic Heritage Month is a time of affirmation and celebration. And so to see this kind of rhetoric around this time, it clearly speaks of Islamophobia and that is something we have zero tolerance for,” Khan told CityNews.

She adds the statement they sent out Monday is empty without any action.

“We want to ensure folks who were involved are held to account for what has happened. And also, it speaks to a climate where it is very easy for a directive like this to come down without really being questioned,” said Khan.

The NCCM wants to see the City of Markham launch an investigation. “There’s zero tolerance for any form of hate. And this speaks of Islamophobia, and we want answers.”

The employee agrees there should be an investigation. “I do feel an investigation would be helpful at least to hold the individuals accountable and to open communication as to perhaps unconscious biases or anything in that regard because the air of Islamophobia is present definitely and to contribute to that even unconsciously is important that it’s addressed.”

When asked about an investigation, Biss said, “We will work with any community that wants to work with us to see that this doesn’t happen again.”

The City of Markham and Mayor Frank Scarpitti’s office directed CityNews’ questions on the email to the library and would not say whether an investigation would be launched.

CityNews also reached out to the Markham Public Library Board but has not received a response.

Khan adds since the conflict began, they have seen an exponential rise in Islamophobia.

“Cases in schools, in public spaces, as people are navigating their day-to-day lives, as they’re visiting places of prayer, as well as in workplaces. And so we are noticing how this dehumanization is now impacting our communities in our day-to-day lives here,” explained Khan.

“I think this hit home for a lot of people. And to see this now move into a space like a library is shocking.”