Sooraya Graham’s photography project at Thompson Rivers University was reinstalled after its controversial removal from the hallways late last week.

The fine art student’s artful mural print of a woman wearing full Islamic dress holding a bra in her hands while folding laundry was included as part of the annual diploma show which recently concluded in the TRU Gallery in Old Main.

Christopher Seguin, TRU Vice President of Advancement, acknowledged that Graham’s photograph sparked a heated debate among the student body.  “First and foremost freedom of expression has to be preserved on our campus,” Seguin said. “The initial removal of the portrait was by an individual acting by their own motivations. When we found out someone had taken the piece down, we immediately had the artwork returned and made a commitment to cover all costs associated with its repair and re-installation.”

Graham says she has been pleased to see that the Muslim student body, as well as the TRU dean of arts [Dr. Michael Mehta] rallied to her support when word of the artwork’s initial removal from campus hallways was reported.

“In an increasingly multicultural world, friction and misunderstanding are part of everyday life,” Mehta said. “Universities are about exploring and assisting in the resolution of such conflicts. As a university, TRU strongly believes in protecting freedom of expression, and we will use this situation to learn more about how to navigate in the new world we live in.”

“We have heard the concerns of all our stakeholders,” Seguin said. “We will maintain the right for freedom of expression on our campus. There was nothing condoning hatred or disrespect in this work and we stand behind it.”

A Muslim herself, Graham said she doesn’t feel the work needs to be explained. She said she selected the photo for the exhibit because “it humanizes the veiled woman.”

For more information please contact:
Christopher Seguin,
TRU VP Advancement
(p) 250-574-0474
(e) cseguin@tru.ca