Muslim parents who spoke to The Rover say that when they questioned the EMSB’s apparent support for Israel in conversations with elected commissioners or staff, they were either ignored or told they supported terrorism.

“I wasn’t called antisemitic, but an elected councillor at the EMSB told people I’m a supporter of (deceased Hamas leader) Yahya Sinwar,” said one parent and volunteer at the school board. She did not want her name published for fear of reprisals. “Technically, he didn’t attack my character. He could easily say he was joking.”

Councillor Julien Feldman was suspended by the school board’s ethics commissioner last month for falsely associating a mother of three EMSB students with antisemitism and derisively referring to her as “Ms. Gaza.” Without consulting parents or teachers, the elected council voted to absolve Feldman of wrongdoing last month in a vote that wasn’t included on the agenda circulated to the community ahead of the meeting.

“There appears to be, at the very least, some sort of anti-Muslim or anti-Palestinian bias at the EMSB,” said another Muslim parent. “The treatment reserved for people who support Palestine versus those who support Israel, it’s like there are two sets of rules.”