Aram Wedatalla is a 23-year-old Muslim student at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is also the president of the Minneapolis chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Her instructor for her art history class, Dr. Erika LÃ ³pez Prater, showed the class paintings of the "prophet" Mohammed. Since many Muslims believe it is sacrilege and blasphemy to depict the pedophile Mohammed in images, Wedatalla claims she was emotionally crushed by seeing the above image of the medieval painting of the mythical angel Gabriel giving Mohammed the first Quranic "revelation" allegedly from God. It did not matter that the instructor gave warning in the class syllabus that she was going to show images of Mohammed, as well as giving a warning and allowing students to leave the classroom prior to showing the images.
At a CAIR press conference, the showing of the images of the paintings of Mohammed was described as "Islamophobic" by an imam. Wedatalla was close to tears as she said, "I was shocked with a professor who gave me a trigger warning before proceeding to disrespect my religion."
Hamline University, after getting complaints from Wedatalla, other Muslim students and CAIR, told the instructor, Dr. Erika LÃ ³pez Prater, that her services will no longer be needed next semester. Hamline's president, Fayneese S. Miller, co-signed an email that said respect for the Muslim students "should have superseded academic freedom." This is a clear attack against free speech and academic freedom. Why should superstitious beliefs of a portion of the population prohibit the rest of the population from having a free exchange of ideas and to study anything and everything they want? Muslim students, as people, should be respected, but their irrational religious beliefs should not at all be respected. Not only is it wrong when we give respect to things that do not deserve it; we are asking for trouble by doing so. In this case, it was an innocent professor who paid the price.
Wedatalla's statement that she was shocked by "a professor who gave me a trigger warning before proceeding to disrespect my religion" can only make you wonder if she is familiar with the ungodly, cruel and misogynistic teachings in the manmade Quran. In particular the Quran at 4:34, which claims women are inferior to men and that Muslim men who fear a woman may become rebellious towards the superior Muslim man should scourge/beat the potentially rebellious woman. This disgusting verse, falsely claimed to be part of God's final word, states:
"Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High, Exalted, Great."
This Quranic verse is commanding Muslim men to commit the criminal offense of assault and battery against women. Wedatalla is not offended by this, but she and her fellow Muslims are offended and hurt by an image of Mohammed being shown in an art history class. They demand censorship and the end of free speech regarding anything they find to be offensive to their religious superstitions. The Deist George Washington warned against the dangers of limiting free speech when he wrote,
"If Men are to be precluded from offering their sentiments on a matter, which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences, that can invite the consideration of Mankind; reason is of no use to us " the freedom of Speech may be taken away " and, dumb & silent we may be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter."
Islam, and all of the manmade "revealed" religions, are void of God-given reason and need to be replaced with God-given reason-based Deism. This will help humanity evolve to unbounded progress and happiness. Of course, this won't be accomplished by accident. Deists need to DO the very best we can to make this a reality!