An Iranian-born history professor at San Francisco State University is under investigation by the school’s Equity Programs & Compliance office after a Muslim student complained about a photo of Muhammad he showed during a lecture.
Professor Maziar Behrooz lectured him in his class last fall on the history of the Islamic world between 500 and 1700 when he showed the image of the Muslim prophet, which irked a devout student who complained to him outside of class.
In some sects of Islam, depictions of Muhammad are strictly forbidden, a long-held custom designed to prevent people from worshiping the man as a god. The student told this to Behrooz, who insisted that what was and was not shown in his class was his decision.
Behrooz says similar images are widely sold in Tehran and displayed in the homes of Shia Muslims, who have no qualms about sharing images of Muhammad.
The student then went to Behrooz’s department chair and school administrators to complain, prompting the school’s Equity office to open an official investigation into the matter in March.
Behrooz is expected to have a meeting with the agency in early April. He told the Chronicle of higher education that while he is not terribly concerned about the investigation, he remains unsure of what might happen. “How things go from here is a mystery,” he said.
Professor Maziar Behrooz showed a photo of Muhammad during his Islamic history class at San Francisco State University in Fall 2022 and is under investigation
Academic freedom organizations have sent letters to San Francisco State University president Lynn Mahoney demanding that the Behrooz investigation be dropped
Behrooz said he had displayed the same image in his classroom for years without ever receiving a complaint, and was baffled to receive one.
“This is the first time this has happened,” he said. “I wasn’t prepared for someone to be offended, in a secular university, who talks about history instead of religion.”
After the student complained to Behrooz, they went to the department chair, who then spoke to the professor about the situation.
Behrooz explained to the chairman that not only is the student’s belief not held by all Muslims, but the image of Muhammad he had shown was for sale everywhere, even in the capital of Iran – where Behrooz was born – and that some branches of Islam had the drawings on the walls of their house.
The student then complained to “higher authorities,” which led to the opening of the investigation.
Behrooz had displayed the image for years in his classes at San Francisco Stat University
After news of the investigation broke, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) sent a letter to Lynn Mahoney, president of San Francisco State University, demanding that the case be dropped, arguing that even an investigation into the situation was an affront to academic freedoms.
“An instructor’s right to navigate difficult material — such as whether or not to show a historical painting, even though some Muslims believe Muhammad ‘should not be depicted in any way’ — falls well within the protection of academic freedom by the First Amendment and our nation’s broader commitment to it,” the organization writes.
FIRE argued that the use of potentially sensitive material was necessary to properly teach history, and that it would be inappropriate to penalize anyone for doing so.
Educationally relevant material may contain words, concepts, topics, or discussions that some, many, or even most students find disturbing or uncomfortable, including material that may offend people of a particular religion. Faculties must be free of institutional constraints in attempting to confront and explore complex issues, as Behrooz was in teaching Islamic history,” FIRE wrote.
On Monday, it was announced that Fayneese Miller, president of Hamline University, would retire in 2024
It comes just days after the president of Hamline University said she would retire months after a scandal involving a professor who showed images of the Prophet Muhammad in an art history class.
President Fayneese Miller initially defended the small Minnesota school’s decision not to renew the contract of adjunct professor Erika Lopez Prater, who had shown students the Muslim prophet — after giving them a warning.
But the school eventually bounced back after widespread criticism and a lawsuit filed by the professor.
Previously, Hamline leaders said 71 of 92 faculty members who attended a meeting in January voted to call on Miller to resign immediately.
They said they had lost faith in Miller because she dealt with an appeal filed by a Muslim student who said seeing the artwork was against her religious beliefs.