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 Mohammed in a global art course, while the university said it had made a “misstep” and plans to hold public conversations about academic freedom.
In her lawsuit, Erika Lopez 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 Lopez 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 Lopez Prater throughout her career, potentially resulting in her inability to obtain a tenure track position at any institution of higher education.”
Photo: AP
Hamline University president Fayneese Miller and Ellen Watters, the Board of Trustees chair, released a joint statement saying that “communications, articles and opinion pieces” have led the institution to “review and re-examine our actions.”
The statement did not address the lawsuit, but said the university strongly supports academic freedom, which should coexist with support for students.
In October, Lopez Prater showed a 14th-century painting depicting Mohammed in a lesson on Islamic art. For many Muslims, visual depictions of the prophet violate their faith.
Photo: AP
According to the lawsuit, Lopez Prater’s course syllabus included a note that students would view images of religious figures, including Mohammed. The syllabus also included an offer to work with students uncomfortable with viewing those images.
She also warned the class immediately before showing the depiction of Mohammed.
The lawsuit alleges that instead of Hamline recognizing Lopez Prater showed the images with a proper academic purpose, the university imposed the student’s religious view that no one should ever view images of Mohammed on all other students and employees.
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