Art Instructor Sues University Over Prophet Muhammad Images Firing

(St. Paul, MN) — A Minnesota art professor who was fired after she showed images of the Prophet Muhammad in her class is suing Hamline University. The suit filed Tuesday by attorneys for Erika Lopez Prater accuses the school in St. Paul, Minnesota of defamation, religious discrimination, and breach of contract. Less than two hours after the suit was filed, the university president and board chair said in a statement that they had “learned much” about Islam and that their previous decision to describe the incident as Islamophobic was “flawed.” The private college told Prater earlier this month that it would not renew her contract for the spring semester after a student complained about an online class presentation in October. Prater showed two centuries-old artworks depicting the prophet receiving revelations from the Angel Gabriel that would later form the basis for the Koran. She had provided a disclaimer in the course syllabus and spent “at least a couple of minutes” preparing students for the images and said they could opt out of the lesson without being penalized.