>
A prominent Muslim organization defends a teacher who was fired after showing a painting of the Prophet Muhammad in class.
The Muslim Public Affairs Council issued a statement Monday demanding that Hamline University reverse its decision to fire art history professor Erika López Prater.
He even praises the teacher’s teaching, saying the image she showed her class in October was not Islamophobic, despite the claims of some students.
With the release of her statement, the Muslim Public Affairs Council has become the latest group to endorse Prater and denounce the Minnesota-based school’s decision to fire her.
Aram Wedatalla complained to the school administration that an art teacher showing his class a 14th-century depiction of the Prophet Muhammad is Islamophobic.
Hamline University in Minnesota faces backlash for firing professor Erika Lopez Prater
Prater faced backlash almost immediately after he taught an online class on Islamic art on October 6 as part of a larger curriculum on world art.
He decided to show the class a 14th century depiction of the angel Gabriel delivering the first revelation from the Prophet.
Aware that in some branches of Islam it is blasphemy to look at any image of the Prophet, Professor Prater gave students two minutes to look away from the screen or log off before projecting the image in her presentation.
But Aram Wedatalla, a student who is also president of the university’s Muslim association, chose to stay online in class. He later complained to school officials that the image of her ‘blinded’ him and made him feel left out.
Despite being told by department head Allison Baker that she had done “everything right,” Prater was fired after more students, including some not in the class, complained.
The students saw it as a victory.
“Hamline teaches us that the intent doesn’t matter, it’s the impact that matters,” student DeAngela Huddleston told the school newspaper. The oracle.
Now, however, many Muslims are denouncing the school’s actions and praising Prater for showcasing Muslim art.
In its declaration On Monday, for example, the Muslim Public Affairs Council said it supports Prater and urges the university to “reverse its decision and take compensatory measures to improve the situation.”
Some students at the school praised the faculty’s decision to fire Prater. The university campus is shown here
“As a Muslim organization, we recognize the validity and ubiquity of an Islamic point of view that discourages or prohibits any portrayal of the Prophet, especially if done in a distasteful or disrespectful manner,” the organization said.
“However, we also acknowledge the historical reality that other points of view have existed and that there have been some Muslims, including and especially Shia Muslims, who have no qualms about depicting the Prophet pictorially (although often concealing his face with a veil). ).
“All of this is a testament to the great internal diversity within the Islamic tradition, which should be celebrated.”
The teacher is to be thanked for her role in educating students, both Muslim and non-Muslim, and for doing so in a critical and emphatic manner.
The Muslim Public Affairs Council
He goes on to argue that the painting is not Islamophobic, noting that it was in fact “commissioned by a 14th-century Muslim king to honor the Prophet, depicting the first Qur’anic revelation from the angel Gabriel.”
“Even if many Muslims are uncomfortable with such representations, Dr. Prater was trying to emphasize a key tenet of religious literacy: religions are not monolithic in nature, but internally diverse,” he continues.
‘This principle must be cherished in order to combat Islamophobia, which is often based on flattening Islam and viewing the Islamic tradition in an essentialist and reductionist way.
“The teacher is to be thanked for her role in educating students, both Muslim and non-Muslim, and for doing so in a critically emphatic way.”
The Muslim Public Affairs Council also noted that “highly offensive and radicalized images of the Prophet Muhammad abound on the internet and social media,” which it considers “inappropriate and similar to anti-Semitic or ‘blackface’ caricatures.”
But, the organization says: ‘Given the ubiquity of Islamophobic depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, it makes no sense to target an art teacher trying to combat narrow concepts of Islam.
There is an unmistakable irony in the situation, which must be appreciated.
“In addition, the misuse of the label Islamophobia has the negative effect of diluting the term and making it less effective in denouncing actual acts of intolerance.”
He concludes: ‘Finally we highlight the importance of education in the Islamic tradition.
“Based on our shared Islamic and universal values, we affirm the need to instill a spirit of free inquiry, critical thinking, and diversity of viewpoints in the university environment.”
A Change.org petition in support of the fired professor has garnered more than 9,600 signatures.
The statement comes as a cambio.org Petition in support of fired professor has garnered more than 9,600 signatures.
The petition calls on the university to launch an independent investigation and says it fired Prater without entitlement to “due process.”
Prater has not commented on the scandal.
After the October incident, the university’s associate vice president for inclusive excellence called the lesson “undeniably Islamophobic” in an interview with the student newspaper.
“It was decided that it was best that this faculty member no longer be a part of the Hamline community,” he said.
It’s unclear if Allison Baker, the department head who agreed with Prater and told him she had done “everything right,” is still in her position.
Hamline University did not respond to inquiries about criticism of the decision when contacted by DailyMail.com.
Instead, a spokesperson referred to a December statement on the subject.
‘Hamline University is made up of people with diverse views, expectations and interactions. Our community, like many in higher education, is made up of people with different life experiences, including religious beliefs and traditions.
‘We, as an institution, recognize the diversity among us and are committed to creating an environment of mutual respect and care.
‘As reported, last semester a deputy instructor showed pictures of the Prophet Muhammad. Students do not give up their faith in the classroom.
‘Looking at an image of the Prophet Muhammad, for many Muslims, goes against their faith.
Many scholars have raised questions about the best way to discuss Islamic art and it is certainly a topic worthy of debate and discussion.
‘For those of us entrusted with the responsibility of raising the next generation of leaders and engaged citizens, it was important that our Muslim students, as well as all other students, feel safe, supported and respected both inside and outside. from our classrooms,’ a spokesperson said.