Muslim Students’ Association of MSU Receives Hae Filled E-Mail From Professor

MSA-MI

Posted Apr 24, 2006      •Permalink      • Printer-Friendly Version
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MUSLIM STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION OF MSU RECEIVES HATE-FILLED E-MAIL FROM PROFESSOR

(East Lansing, Michigan - 04/24/06) - The Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) of Michigan State University (MSU) received a very disturbing email from Dr. Indrek S. Wichman, professor of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University on 02/28/06. Using his MSU email account, he degraded Muslims by calling them, “dissatisfied, aggressive, brutal, and uncivilized slave-trading Moslems” and despicably demanded Muslim students to “return to your ancestral homelands and build them up yourselves instead of troubling Americans.” These virulent attacks are inexcusable for a MSU professor, especially considering the University’s collective commitment to fostering a welcoming academic environment for all.

Representatives from the MSA have discussed this grave matter with University officials on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, their response was unsatisfactory and therefore, along with the undersigned organizations, the MSA is calling for a public letter of reprimand by the University to the professor.

Despite the University administration’s unwillingness to adequately discipline the professor, they have expressed a positive commitment to work with us to avoid the reoccurrence of such an incident. To achieve this end, we call for a comprehensive initiative to be undertaken by the University to address the underlying problems of hate and discrimination present at MSU through the following measures:

o Support for the MSA to put on Islamic culture and diversity programs,
o Sponsorship by the office of the president and provost for diversity programs and programs highlighting issues confronting Muslim students,
o Mandatory freshmen seminar addressing hate and discrimination, and
o Programs for the faculty of MSU to undergo diversity training, including Muslim sensitivity training.

The MSA has been proactive in uniting students of various backgrounds to take a unified stance against all levels of hate, discrimination, and racism at MSU. Specifically, we have been working with many other student groups to establish an umbrella organization comprised of student leaders of every concerned University registered student organization (RSO). RSOs interested in joining the coalition should contact the MSA at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). We also urge everyone to contact the University to express their disapproval of the professor’s racist remarks and support the call for the implementation of the aforementioned initiatives. It is our hope that these initiatives and the like will help put an end to hatred and discrimination at MSU and foster a healthier and more harmonious community.

Signed:

Muslim Students’ Association of Michigan State University

Co-Signed:

Arab Cultural Society - ACS
Asian Pacific American Student Organization - APASO
Black Student Alliance - BSA
Islamic Medical Students Association - IMSA
Jewish Student Union - JSU
North American Indigenous Student Organization - NAISO
Pakistan Students Association - PSA
Students for Economic Justice - SEJ
Women’s Council
Council on American Islamic Relations - CAIR-MI (non-RSO)
Islamic Society of Greater Lansing - ISGL (non-RSO)
Muslim American Society - MAS-Lansing Chapter (non-RSO)

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