Art professor sues after firing over Prophet Muhammad images

[Coventina]

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Attorneys for an adjunct art professor said Tuesday she is suing the Minnesota university that dismissed her after a Muslim student objected to depictions of the Prophet Muhammad in a global art course, while the university admitted to a “misstep” and plans to hold public conversations about academic freedom.

In her lawsuit, Erika López Prater alleges that Hamline University — a small, private school in St. Paul — subjected her to religious discrimination and defamation, and damaged her professional and personal reputation.

“Among other things, Hamline, through its administration, has referred to Dr. López Prater’s actions as ‘undeniably Islamophobic,’″ her attorneys said in a statement. “Comments like these, which have now been published in news stories around the globe, will follow Dr. López Prater throughout her career, potentially resulting in her inability to obtain a tenure track position at any institution of higher education.”


In Minnesota, a lawsuit can be started by serving a summons and a complaint to the party being sued. Attorneys for López Prater said the lawsuit was served to Hamline University on Tuesday and will soon be filed in court.

https://apnews.com/article/colleges-and-universities-minnesota-st-paul-religion-ba1f75e62e6c73eb46117d7f8394b3a4

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I hope she wins!!!

[Just A Box Of Rain]

1. Me too.

Hamline University is totally in the wrong.

[Dr. Strange]

13. Just mind-boggling.

It's astonishing how the University went from "undeniably inconsiderate, disrespectful and Islamophobic" to "sometimes we misstep."

[rollin74]

2. what a horrible decision by that university

the professor is absolutely right to sue them

[Ocelot II]

3. I hope she wins, too. That was a really stupid move.

Hamline is a good school - my niece went there about 10 years ago - but they really stepped in it this time. Adjunct faculty like this instructor are always underpaid and undervalued, but unless they fix this mess they've permanently damaged her chances for a full-time teaching job anywhere.

[Sky Jewels]

4. Yet another example among billions

of why religion and ”faith” in utter nonsense are a cancer on the planet.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

5. Bigotry is a cancer on the planet.

[Sky Jewels]

7. I dislike belief systems, not the people who buy into them.

If I'm a bigot, then so are you -- that is, assuming you dislike Republican values and beliefs. By your definition, someone who hates what the Proud Boys stand for is also a "bigot."

Notice I did not say "Muslims are a cancer on the planet" or "Christians are a cancer on the planet." I'm not sure why so many people, like yourself, are unable to draw this very simple distinction.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

8. A distinction between a condemnation of one religion vs condemning all religions?

Wow!

[Sky Jewels]

9. What?

You make no sense.

Disliking belief systems, including those that lack a shred of evidence to support them, is not bigotry. DUH.

Also, I've had enough engagement with you and your strange posts. I won't waste my time replying.

I'm sure you have better things to do, like insisting that CNN hasn't changed and moved hard right after all.

Buh bye.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

11. Wrong.

[Celerity]

10. good!

[Hekate]

12. I hope she wins big. That college missed a golden opportunity to teach -- everything

I could think of several different ways of handling the situation, including offering the student the opportunity to drop the class. What will the poor dear do when presented with a bunch of Renaissance nudes in another art history class?

This wasn’t Charlie Hebdo, for gods’ sake.

This country is becoming stupider by the day.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

15. Instead they issued a statement against "academic freedom."

I'd hate to have to defend this firing in court.

[Ocelot II]

16. There's so much wrong with what Hamline did that I hardly know where to start.

First, instead of simply negotiating some kind of rapprochement with the offended student they issued a statement bashing the instructor, labeling her action in showing the picture (and by extension, her), insensitive and Islamophobic. That's defamatory right there - her career in academia might have been irreparably damaged.

Clearly the instructor had no offensive intent, having given plenty of advance notice that she would show the picture - as an historical example of Islamic art (which was produced by a Muslim for Muslims). The college evidently did no research on the issue; if they had, they would have learned that not all Muslims believe depictions of Mohammed are blasphemous or idolatrous.

They deemed the offense taken by a single student (despite the warnings given) more important than academic freedom in general, and in particular the educational interests of the other students in the class in learning about the picture, its history and style. It was an art history class, FFS.

While, generally speaking, efforts should always be made to avoid giving offense unnecessarily, nobody has an absolute right never to be offended. College is a very good time to learn that.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

17. A truly great post!