The executive arm of U-M’s faculty governance system on Dec. 21 approved a resolution affirming its support for members of the university’s Muslim community “in light of the recent wave of anti-Islamic rhetoric in public discourse.”

The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs voted unanimously in favor of the resolution, and also voted to place it before the Senate Assembly for consideration by the larger body.

“We call on all members of the University of Michigan to unequivocally oppose and condemn all attempts to discriminate against, marginalize, or denigrate students, faculty or staff on the basis of religious faith, national origin or ethnic belonging,” the resolution states.

SACUA Chair Silke-Maria Weineck said she proposed the resolution after hearing from several members of U-M’s Muslim community who said there was “an unease and even fear on campus.”

Weineck said she knows of no specific incidents in which Muslims have been targeted at U-M, but that many were alarmed given recent public discussions, particularly following terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California.

In his remarks at Winter Commencement, President Mark Schlissel drew a parallel between the fears that led to McCarthyism in the 1950s and current “proposals rooted in Islamophobia.”

Meeting with SACUA on Monday, Schlissel acknowledged that Muslim students, faculty and staff “do feel threatened by what’s going on in the world.” He said building an inclusive campus environment means, “being inclusive of everybody, and that includes freedom from external or internal threat.”

“This issue isn’t going to go away, and may even heat up in the months ahead, but I think we have to look for opportunities to do what we can to reassure our students and faculty and staff who are affected,” Schlissel said.

Update: The Senate Assembly approved this resolution, with one amendment, on Jan. 25, 2016.

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