'It's a major loss': Death of Palestinian scholar mourned by University of Waterloo colleagues

A Palestinian scholar who died in an Israeli airstrike is being remembered by former colleagues at the University of Waterloo.

Sofyan Taya was the president of the Islamic University of Gaza, and was a visiting scholar at the University of Waterloo from 2021 to 2022 in electromagnetics and optics. He was killed earlier this month alongside his family,

Mohammad Al-Sharman, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Waterloo, became friends with Taya during his residency at the school. He described him as "a great friend" and "nice soul," and found the news of Taya's death "extremely shocking."

Al-Sharman saud that Taya's death is a blow to his academic field as he was considered a leader in the subfield of electromagnetic and optics.

"He's been contributing to this subfield so immensely so losing professors like Sofyan Taya it's a major loss."

He said that he was messaging Taya days before his death, helping him with his academic work, which Taya had continued in Gaza despite the ongoing war.

"One significant and nice merit he used to have, and in my opinion it is beyond imagination, it is unmatchable, is his passion towards research," Al-Sharman said.

In an email statement, Rebecca Elming, a spokesperson for the University of Waterloo said: "The university is saddened by Dr. Taya's passing and has reached out to offer support to those who knew him."

Death sparks campaign calling for ceasefire

Taya's death has also spurred a national campaign calling for the Canadian government to demand a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Earlier this month, the human rights organization Justice for All Canada wrote an open letter that had garnered over 200 signatures, including those of academics from a number of universities across the country. In it they outlined five calls to action, including that "Canadian universities, colleges, and educational institutions advocate that the Canadian government calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, emphasizing the crucial need to safeguard academic institutions, their leaders and students."

The group has also called on the government to "establish a scholarship fund in the memory of Professor Sofyan Taya," and "engage with international bodies, including UNESCO, to ensure a coordinated response to protect Palestinian academic institutions under attack."

On Oct. 11, the Islamic University of Gaza had also been struck by an airstrike, and according to a social media post by Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, during roughly the first month of the war 12 higher educational institutions were either partially or fully destroyed in Gaza.

The current Middle Eastern conflict was sparked by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel that saw 1,200 people killed. They had also taken 240 hostages, but 105 have since been returned during a brief ceasefire last month.

Over 18,000 Palestinians have been killed in retaliatory attacks by Israeli forces in Gaza. The Canadian government has joined the calls for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East, but there has been some disagreement among the Liberal party about this decision.

In response to Justice for All Canada's claims of "intentional attacks on academic institutions," an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson told CBC News that they would need "relevant coordinates and the specific time" of Taya's death to respond to this specific case, but said that "IDF follows international law and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm.