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An Iranian-born history professor at San Francisco State University is under investigation by the school’s Office of Equity and Compliance Programs after a Muslim student complained that he showed a picture of the Prophet Muhammad during a lecture.
Professor Maziar Behrouz was teaching his class on the history of the Islamic world between 500 and 1700 last fall when he showed a picture of the Muslim prophet, much to the aggravation of the devout student.
In some sects of Islam, images of Muhammad are strictly prohibited, an ancient practice intended to prevent people from worshiping the man as a god. He told this to student Behrouz, who insisted that what was and was not shown in his class was his decision.
Behrouz says that similar pictures are widely sold in Tehran and displayed in the homes of Shiites, who do not hesitate to share pictures of Muhammad.
The student then went to Behrouz’s department chair and to the school’s administrators to file a complaint, which led the school’s equity office to open an official investigation into the matter in March.
Behrouz is scheduled to meet with the office in early April. He said Chronicle of higher education Although he wasn’t too worried about the investigation, he was still not sure what might happen. “How it goes from here is anyone’s guess,” he said.
Professor Maziar Behrouz displayed the image of Muhammad in an Islamic history class at San Francisco State University in the fall of 2022, and it is under investigation.
Academic freedom organizations sent letters to San Francisco State University President Lynn Mahoney calling for the Behrouz investigation to be dropped.
Behrouz said he had shown the same photo in his class for years without receiving a complaint, and that he was baffled to receive one.
“This is the first time this has happened,” he said. “I was not prepared for someone to be offended, in a secular university, talking about history instead of religion.”
After the student complained to Behrouz, they went to the head of the department who then spoke with the professor about the situation.
Behrouz explained to the chair that not only were the students’ beliefs held by all Muslims, but that the picture of Muhammad he showed was widely available for purchase even in the capital of Iran—where Behroz was born—and that some Islamic sects had drawings on the walls of their homes.
Then the student complained to the “higher authorities”, which led to the opening of the investigation.
Behrouz showed the photo in his classes at San Francisco State University for years
After news of the investigation broke, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) sent a letter to San Francisco State University President Lynn Mahoney calling for the case to be dropped, arguing that even investigating the situation was an affront to academic freedoms.
“A teacher’s right to navigate difficult subjects — such as showing a history painting even though some Muslims believe Muhammad ‘should not be depicted in any way’ — falls within First Amendment protections of academic freedom and our nation’s broader commitment to it,” the organization wrote.
FIRE argued that the use of potentially sensitive materials was necessary to properly teach history, and that to punish someone for doing so would be out of line.
Pedagogically relevant material may include words, concepts, topics, or discussions that some, many, or even most students find disturbing or uncomfortable, including presentation of material that may offend those who practice a particular religion. The college must be free from institutional constraints in trying to confront and examine complex issues, as Behrouz was in teaching Islamic history, FIRE writes.
It was announced Monday that Hamline University President Fiennes Miller will retire in 2024
This comes just days after the president of Hamelin University announced that she would retire, months after a scandal involving a professor who displayed pictures of the Prophet Muhammad in an art history class.
President Vinez Miller initially defended the young school in Minnesota’s decision not to renew the contract of assistant professor Erika Lopez-Prater who showed students the Muslim prophet – after he gave them a warning.
But the school finally backtracked after widespread criticism and a lawsuit filed by the professor.
Previously, leaders at Hamlin said that 71 of the 92 faculty who attended a meeting in January voted to call on Miller to resign immediately.
They said they had lost faith in Miller over her handling of an objection made by a Muslim student who said seeing the artwork violated her religious beliefs.