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A Minnesota school that placed the feelings of Muslim students in a classroom over any academic freedom a teacher had should reconsider its decision, according to a statement from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
Reports confirmed the school refused to renew a contract for the teacher, whose identity was not released, after he used an artwork that depicted Muhammad in a class.
Hamline dismissed the teacher after demanding that « respect for the observant Muslim students in that classroom should have superseded academic freedom. »
Muslims object to any depiction of Muhammad.
The free speech organization explained that Hamline « betrayed its commitment to ’embrace’ free expression » with its actions.
The school is private, so is not bound by the First Amendment as a government university would be, but, FIRE reported, « it makes clear commitments to academic freedom that faculty will reasonably interpret to align with the First Amendment’s protections. »
« In the First Amendment context, courts have made clear that expression, ‘however repugnant,’ is protected if ‘germane to the classroom subject matter,' » FIRE said.
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Hamline claimed to justify its decision because of concerns about « Islamophobia, » but FIRE reported blanket bans on material relevant to the classroom subject « are not acceptable.
