ST. PAUL, Minn. — The centuries-old artworks appeared on Hamline University students' computer screens during an art history class early one October morning.
The first showed the Prophet Muhammad — including his face — as he received a revelation from the Angel Gabriel that would later form the basis of the Qur'an. The second showed a similar moment, but with the prophet's face veiled and his image surrounded by a halo.
Adjunct instructor Erika López Prater thought she had gone above and beyond to help students avoid seeing the artworks if their religious views prohibited it. "I thought this would be a great opportunity to, among other things, speak to Islamic art with a little bit more nuance," she said.
