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The Michigan chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations announced Wednesday they filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights against the University of Michigan.
Monday evening, the TAHRIR Coalition — a group of more than 90 pro-Palestine organizations — posted a leaked audio recording of University President Santa Ono to their Instagram. In the recording, Ono said the federal government was asking questions about how universities are combating antisemitism, but not Islamophobia. The Instagram post does not identify the source or context of the audio.
The CAIR complaint requests an investigation into whether the University is abiding by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Conflict Resolution agreement it entered into with the Office of Civil Rights on June 17.
In August, Ono submitted a transcribed interview to the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee about the University’s response to campus tensions about the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. Ono was originally slated to appear for a hearing in person but was later asked to provide a written response.
In the leaked recording, Ono said he believes universities are forced to treat Islamophobia and antisemitism on campus in an unbalanced way due to pressures from Congress and interest groups.
“The government could call me tomorrow and say, in a very unbalanced way, the University is not doing enough to combat antisemitism,” Ono said. “And I could say it’s not doing enough to combat Islamophobia, and that’s not what they want to hear. So, the whole situation is not balanced.”
Ono also implied in the audio clip that the government threatened to withhold federal funds if the University did not address antisemitism on campus.
“And so, you can see (Congress is) a very powerful group who are not shy to say that they will hold the whole institution accountable for not addressing antisemitism,” Ono said. “To have the government say something like, well, we will withhold your $2 billion dollars in funding if you don’t address antisemitism.”
In a press release following the audio release, the TAHRIR Coalition said the recording indicated that the University was focusing on antisemitism in order to repress pro-Palestine campus activism.
“This only confirms what we know to be true: the University regents and administration, in collaboration with the federal government, are stifling dissent and public pressure to divest from “israel’s” genocide in Gaza under the guise of combating antisemitism,” the press release reads. “The weaponization of antisemitism is being tactically used to repress the pro-Palestine movement on a national scale, with protesters routinely getting brutalized and attacked by militarized police forces.”
In an email to The Daily, University spokesperson Colleen Mastony wrote that the University is dedicated to fighting both antisemitism and Islamophobia on campus.
“The University of Michigan is steadfastly committed to ensuring our community remains a safe and supportive environment, where all students – regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or other identities – have the opportunity to learn and thrive,” Mastony wrote. “President Santa J. Ono has spoken out repeatedly against antisemitism and Islamophobia, and he will continue to do so, as any form of discrimination or hate is an affront to our community.”
CAIR-MI filed their complaint two days after the recording was posted. In a letter to the Office of Civil Rights, CAIR-MI Staff Attorney Amy V. Doukoure wrote the audio recording suggests the University is purposefully disregarding Islamophobia on campus and disproportionately focusing on antisemitism.
“The statements made by President Ono appear to contradict the obligations of (the University) as it pertains to its obligations under Title VI,” Doukoure wrote. “It appears to strongly suggest that UM is actively ignoring Islamophobia while exclusively focusing on eradicating (antisemitism). Not only is this sentiment a complete violation of the University’s obligations under law, it is in direct contravention of their obligations under the Consent Resolution that the University of Michigan signed with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights earlier this year.”
Daily Staff Reporter Michelle Liao can be reached at mrliao@umich.edu. Daily News Editor Sneha Dhandapani contributed reporting to this article.
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