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‘She has no place being in charge of an organisation notorious for taking offence

Furious students are voicing their concern over one candidate’s bid for EUSA President after the discovery of a “horrendously racist” Facebook comment.

Faatima Ozman wrote “Fuck you white person” on a fellow student’s Facebook status querying: “Who is the head of the Edinburgh University Offence Brigade? I have some halloween costume ideas I’d like to run by them“.

Faatima later edited the comment to “Sound from a white person!”

And 21-year-old Ines Rattray, wrote the status in October before Halloween, thinks Faatima’s reaction shows she has no place in office: “A person who responds to being offended with swearing and racism has no place being in charge of an organisation notorious for taking offence.

“If the “fuck you” comment had been from me directed at her and her race, people would have demanded I face consequences for racist comments, and rightfully so.”

The original status and comment

The original status and comment

Faatima Ozman is the was BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) Convenor at the time, and is now running for EUSA President.

Law first year Eleanor said of her comment: “It’s horrendously racist behaviour from someone who is running to be EUSA President, especially as the association themselves take such an anti-racist stance.

And English Literature fourth year Mawish said: “Coming from a south Asian background, I value the concerns being raised by Ms. Osman. However, responding with such a derogatory comment seems to defeat everything she says she is fighting for.”

Ines, who is half-Arab, called out Faatima for the comment, commenting with the screenshot shown above, saying: “Your first comment was much funnier (see photo). I love this idea that trying to use someone’s race as an insult is totally okay when they’re white.

“And since I’m actually half Arab does that mean I could only wear half a Princess Jasmine costume if I wanted to?”

Faatima Ozman's listing on the EUSA candidates page

Faatima Ozman’s listing on the EUSA Candidates page

Faatima continued to comment after the remark, apologising “for mis-identifying your ethnic background”, but she did not apologise for the remark itself.

She then accused Ines of going “around trampling on other people’s oppression and mocking it.”

Screen Shot 2015-03-11 at 20.50.47

But Faatima’s argument didn’t stand up as fair, with another commenter on the status saying: “You have completely undermined your own crusade for equality by insulting Ines on the basis of her race. Way to reinforce the ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality.

“Apologies, but you cannot attempt to regain any sort of moral high ground after levying a vile insult like that.”

Screen Shot 2015-03-11 at 20.50.53

Faatima has yet to comment.

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  • BestSongEver
  • bobby

    I like how she tries to justify her racist comment by trying to bullshit people with “but but white people are in position of power!!!!”. She is assuming that because people in power are white, therefore they will defend the interests of every white person. That’s a logical fallacy. Rich powerful white CEO couldn’t care less about the white labour workers. Faats, grow the fuck out of your pathetic victim complex.

    • Didn’t come from reddit

      I assume you’re up your own ass because you said ‘That’s a logical fallacy.’ Just saying.

      • bobby

        it’s a term you learn in high school philosophy class, cheers.

  • Ally Burr

    I think the worst part of the whole thing is the fact that, despite her numerous responses, not ONCE did she apologise for the initial, disgusting, remark.

  • EdinburghUniStudent2013

    Ines is absolutely right, disgusting double standards from an elected EUSA representative (not for long). How can she stand for office with this filth on her record? No place in the university for this brand of extreme bigotry.

    Fucking outrageous.

  • Scotland2015

    Hmmmmm…

    • Everything

      so not only racism but also misandry…

  • Adam Bushnell
  • FaatimaFanClub

    Faatima, more like Fatima! HAHAHAHAHAHAH no but seriously Faatima you’re a racist pig.

  • HighlandRealist

    She is a racist, she’s using the same thought processes as any racist with the same emotions as racists. Personally I am not a PC socialist so I think it is perfectly human to have bigotries, I’ll admit to having loads to be honest with you. That said she is a total moron for using social media to spread these views, so stupid unless you are some peasant ages 65 reposting Britain First posts. If you are dense enough to let your prejudice spill out onto public forums under your name for eternity you are too dense to be president of anything anyway.

  • Punchin’

    “Punching up” apparently. It’s all the rage in the LGBT community: “Fuck straight people” with the caveat that “you can’t be offended as a cis person because you come from a position of societal privilege and I’m just venting my frustration at being oppressed.” How about not being a dickhead?

  • Neil Cormack

    A petition asking for Faatima to stand down from the election has started. Please take a couple of seconds to sign it if you agree that there should be consequences for her actions:

    https://www.change.org/p/eusa-electorate-of-edinburgh-university-do-not-allow-faatima-osman-to-stand-for-eusa-presidency-3?recruiter=252595246&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=mob-xs-no_src-reason_msg&fb_ref=Default

  • lololol

    Love how everyone’s focusing on the stupid comment but not on the original, far more offensive post. A status shared by a law student obviously in relation to the reaction to the students from the same class/subject who thought blacking up as somali pirates was a hilarious and appropriate costume idea….

    • Did you read the article?

      That had positively nothing to do with it. The girl who posted is half-arab herself and was petitioning the EUSA guidelines on Halloween costumes.

    • I think you’re confused….

      People aren’t focusing on that comment because she’s not running for EUSA president. Someone who is meant to be working against racism in the University has made a blatantly racist comment. That’s why people are focusing on that comment.

  • B

    lovely.

    • Angus

      What are you saying? All I see is Ines being right about 2 matters.

    • Jack

      Yeah there’s nothing I can disagree with in that post. I’m all for being confident in your body, but we should by no means be encouraging such unhealthy weights.

    • TruthHurts

      1. Obesity is a killer, I have just finished writing an essay about inflammation of the hypothalamus that is triggered by being obese. We shouldn’t demean fat people but IT IS NOT HEALTHY

      2. The overwhelming majority of men find very obese women very unattractive. This is a fact and disputing this is about as much point as disputing the fact that we die

      3. F88K this PC society where people don’t want to hear honesty and want to live in a little bubble. In 50 years time the Chinese and Arabs who don’t give a f88k about this will just walk into Europe because the liberals will have branded military forces as “a tool of white cisscum aggression”

  • Angus

    Anyone who believes in white privilege shouldn’t be allowed to run.

  • ContextIsEverything
    • Teabag

      Because a song from a cartoon is the same as “fuck you white person”

  • Anon

    This girl went to my school, which was a private school. How ironic that she’s demanding people to check their privilege when she is most likely the most privileged person in the conversation.

  • Anon

    I’d love to hear more from Faatima about the crushing oppression she must face as the privately-educated daughter of a doctor.