Posted on 01/21/2023 5:53:32 PM PST by marshmallow
The art history instructor sued the university in Minnesota district court, alleging religious discrimination and defamation.
RNS) — Hamline University retracted its characterization of an adjunct professor as “Islamophobic” on Tuesday (Jan. 18) and has revised a previous statement about academic freedom.
The retraction comes in the wake of a firestorm of criticism after the St. Paul, Minnesota, university did not renew the contract of the adjunct, who showed a 14th-century painting of the Prophet Muhammad in her online class last semester.
The change in the university’s position came on the same day the adjunct professor sued the university in Minnesota district court, alleging religious discrimination and defamation.
In October, a student in the class who also serves as president of the university’s Muslim Student Association complained to administrators that she was offended when the adjunct professor showed the prized painting because the student believed figural representation of the prophet is forbidden for Muslims to view.
The adjunct, Erika López Prater, gave students advanced warnings both in class and on her syllabus that she would show the image and allowed students who believe images of the prophet are forbidden not to participate.
A university administrator, however, described the showing of the painting as “undeniably inconsiderate, disrespectful and Islamophobic.”
The new statement pulls back on that characterization.
“Based on all that we have learned, we have determined that our usage of the term ‘Islamophobic’ was therefore flawed,” the chairwoman of the Hamline University board of trustees, Ellen Watters, wrote in a joint statement with its president.
(Excerpt) Read more at religionnews.com ...
Such brave cowards.
The university appears to be using the old Indian trick—did I say “Indian”?—of trying to disappear by walking backwards in your own footprints. Oberlin’s recent $36 wampum damages payout may be very motivating.
I would love to have heard the conversation between the attorney and the Board of Trustees.
I do wonder if he kept it to an academic level discussion of ‘mitigating losses’ or if he needed to use graphic terms to describe the depth of their errors.
Often referred to as a “come-to-Jesus” moment.
The accusing student is now an ex student. She’s a young, Black Muslim with an arabic name. She has been appearing in photos about this story, grinning ear to ear, so full of her own gloating, so thrilled to have gotten a teacher fired by telling the dean that she, the student ‘felt unsafe’ when her teacher showed the copy of the painting in question.
I’m sure this turn of events will quickly wipe the snarky smile off of her face.
‘Eff islam and its beliefs. This is America. Get the F out.
“The accusing student is now an ex student.”
Is that confirmed? What happened?
L
I’m not hearing any update.
Maybe the reporter really meant she the student had withdrawn from that particular class. Sorry about the ambiguous statement.
No worries.
Thanks.
L
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