ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Muslim Students Association of the U.S. & Canada (MSA National) issued a statement on January 12th expressing solidarity with University of Michigan student groups Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) and the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA).
The statement highlighted instances of what MSA National called targeted harassment against students supporting pro-Palestine views. One incident alleged in the statement was the verbal assault on Arab and Muslim students by a School of Information board member on October 13th.
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The students were participating in what the group calls a “peaceful” sit-in protest outside University President Santa Ono’s house in response to his October 10th statement on the Israel-Hamas war which they say omitted any reference to Palestine.
Muslim group alleges harassment and censorship of Muslim, Arab, and Pro-Palestine students in statement.
A video, now taken down, is reported to show the board member asking a student, “Are you going to send one of your terrorists after us?” and shouting “rapists and murderers” at others.
In their own statement, MSA National criticized Ono’s statement for neglecting the violence in Palestine and the experiences of Arab and Muslim students. They also expressed disappointment with the Information School’s decision not to take action against the School of Information board member.
Group alleges no access to water or restrooms for protesters.
The MSA National statement also highlighted the arrest of 40 UM students in the Alexander G. Ruthven Building on November 17th during their occupation of the building to protest against the University’s investment in companies with financial ties to Israel.
Responding to the protest, the University called in police from over ten departments. MSA National says that the protesters were denied access to water and restrooms and alleges that one protester fainted and other had her hijab removed by a police officer.
Resolutions rejected by University.
According to MSA National, a Central Student Government member proposed a resolution on October 20th to urge the University to reconsider its stance on the Israel-Hamas war. Despite receiving over 1,000 signatures, the administration rejected the resolution, citing issues with its wording.
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Subsequently, two other resolutions headed to a campus-wide vote in November with one calling for an educated and non-discriminatory stance on violence and systems of apartheid related to the Israel-Hamas war. The other resolution focused on providing support for those impacted by the conflict. The University canceled the vote on these resolutions, claiming they violated CSG’s (Central Student Government) election integrity and the UM Standard Practice Guide.
Recommendations made to move forward.
The MSA National statement concluded with three recommendations for the University administration:
- To issue a statement that addresses the continued targeting of Muslim and Arab students on campus and condemns the multiple threats of violence against its students.
- To issue a statement explaining that the decision to cancel the campus-wide elections on the aforementioned resolutions was rooted in false information.
- To arrangefor a meeting with President Ono and the Board of Regents to meet students and address the ongoing concerns as a result of the University’s actions thus far.
According to the Michigan Daily website, in response to MSA National’s statement, University spokesperson Kim Broekhuizen said that the administration had seen it and would be reviewing the suggestions and consider appropriate action while continuing to engage with students to address campus climate concerns.
