Search Results for: muslims

Minnesota art-history faculty, as well as a Muslim organization, support fired instructor who showed her class a painting with Muhammad’s face (and a new video with the instructor)

As I’ve written about several times, Erika López Prater, an instructor at Hamline University in Minnesota, was fired by the school for showing a 14th-century image of Muhammad’s face in her art-history survey course. (She also showed a painting of the Prophet with his face veiled but rest of his body complete). The instructor warned … Continue reading Minnesota art-history faculty, as well as a Muslim organization, support fired instructor who showed her class a painting with Muhammad’s face (and a new video with the instructor)

UK Home Secretary defends freedom of expression

If you’re a free-speech advocate or a blasphemy-law opponent, yesterday’s Times of London piece, written by UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman, will make your day. It’s a passionate defense of free speech, an affirmation that blasphemy is free speech, and an assertion that, when it comes to criticism, no religion is more protected by law than … Continue reading UK Home Secretary defends freedom of expression

Déjà Vu: S.F. State University investigates professor for showing Muhammad picture in class

Both FIRE and The Chronicle of Higher Education report that, mirabile dictu, yet another professor is in trouble for showing a picture of Muhammad—this time at San Francisco State University (SFSU).  He hasn’t been fired, but he’s under investigation.  FIRE is of course campaigning to nip this in the bud, and so they have both … Continue reading Déjà Vu: S.F. State University investigates professor for showing Muhammad picture in class

Would burning a Qur’an in public violate the First Amendment?

Here’s one of those hard free-speech cases, and it’s hard for even a diehard free-speecher like me.  It comes from the Wall Street Journal (a news piece, not an op-ed); click to read: This bears on freedom of speech, although Sweden has no U.S.-style First Amendment and I don’t know how they’d regard a case … Continue reading Would burning a Qur’an in public violate the First Amendment?

De facto blasphemy laws in Great Britain

According to Wikipedia, at least, blasphemy laws were enforced at a very low level in the UK until they were recently repealed in England, Wales, and Scotland—though they remain in force in Northern Ireland. I’ve left the links in the excerpt below in case readers want to check. England and Wales abolished their blasphemy law in … Continue reading De facto blasphemy laws in Great Britain

Yes, burning the Qur’an can violate the First Amendment

Yesterday I described the mayhem that ensued in Sweden and Denmark when a nativist right-wing politician, Rasmus Paludan, head of Denmark’s anti-immigrant Hard Line Party, set fire to a Qur’an live on Facebook last month. He then announced that he was going to tour Sweden over Easter weekend burning Qurans: a tour with burnings in … Continue reading Yes, burning the Qur’an can violate the First Amendment

USC forbids its hijab-clad valedictorian to speak at graduation because she minored in genocide

This is a true test of people like me who are pro-Israel in the current conflict but are also in favor of free speech. But it’s not a hard decision, for if you’re a hard line free-speech advocate, you must accept the fact that it’s most important to allow freedom of speech when what the … Continue reading USC forbids its hijab-clad valedictorian to speak at graduation because she minored in genocide

Sarah Haider on why you shouldn’t emphasize your liberal bona fides

I’m busy today with paperwork, letters of recommendations, and winter ducks, so I’ll probably just highlight some articles that you might want to read. Who cares if I didn’t write them?—I’m professor, not a professional writer. Sarah Haider‘s new Substack column, “Hold that thought“, promises to be a place to bookmark, as she’s published two … Continue reading Sarah Haider on why you shouldn’t emphasize your liberal bona fides