(Sahan Journal) A lawsuit against Hamline University by a former art history professor will remain in federal court, U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez ruled Friday. But she dismissed four of the professor’s five claims that stemmed from a campus dispute last winter.
Back in January, Erika López Prater, an adjunct art history professor, filed the lawsuit in state court. López Prater lost her teaching position at Hamline after a Muslim student complained about an online class where she showed two paintings depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Many Muslims consider visual depictions of the Prophet Muhammad to be sacrilegious. López Prater said she had provided warnings in the syllabus and before class to allow Muslim students to opt out of viewing the painting.
