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A Minnesota university finds itself the subject of a complaint after firing a professor for showing a painting of the Islamic prophet Muhammad as part of an art history class.
An incident at Hamline University last semester is sparking conversations all over the country about how to discuss Islamic art.
Hamline University, a private liberal arts school in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. has reportedly declined to renew the contract of a professor, Erika López Prater who showed her students medieval paintings depicting the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. The 42-year-old Professor was let go from her position at the university in Saint Paul despite warning students ahead of time about the 14th-century imagery.
Critics pointed out that Ms. Prater was released even though she gave students a content warning, providing a two-minute introduction to the images and explaining their controversial nature before advancing the PowerPoint presentation during the Oct. 6 online class.
After an outcry over the art history class by Muslim students, Hamline University officials said the incident was Islamophobic. But many scholars say the work is a masterpiece.