The Conversation
Islamic paintings of the Prophet Muhammad are an important piece of history – here’s why art historians teach them
A painting showing the Prophet Muhammad raising his hands in prayer while standing on the Mountain of Light in Mecca. Siyer-i Nebi (Biography of the Prophet), Istanbul, Ottoman lands, 1595-96. Topkapı Palace Library, Istanbul, H. 1222, fol. 158v. Photograph by Hadiye Cangökçe.Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, recently dismissed Erika López Prater, an adjunct faculty member, for showing two historical Islamic paintings of the Prophet Muhammad in her global survey of art history. Followin