Petition Supporting Professor Fired for Islamophobia Signed by Thousands
Education,Religion And Faith,Islamophobia,Arts And Entertainment,Higher Education
A petition supporting the re-instatement of a professor who was fired by an arts college for showing depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, which is strictly forbidden for many practicing Muslims, has garnered more than 10,000 signatures.
Erika López Prater was dismissed by Hamline University in November for including in her class discussion a medieval Islamic painting of the prophet receiving Quranic revelations, which features in the manuscript copy of Rashid al-Din's Compendium of Chronicles dating back to 14th century Iran. The private liberal arts college is based in Minnesota.
The day after the lecture by López Prater featuring the images, a Muslim student contacted the college administration to complain. The professor apologized to the student via email the next day but the matter continued to escalate, with Hamline's Associate Vice President of Inclusive Excellence David Everett on November 7 circulating an email among colleagues describing the lecture as "undeniably inconsiderate, disrespectful, and Islamophobic." Four days later on November 11, The Oracle reported that Hamline's administration had decided to fire Prater.
