San Francisco State refuses to end investigation of professor for showing a drawing of the Prophet Muhammad to his history of the Islamic world class

San Francisco State University claims it cannot drop its investigation of a history professor who showed a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in class, but says it will attempt to conclude the investigation swiftly. FIRE and SFSU’s faculty academic freedom committee have criticized the investigation into the professor’s First Amendment-protected academic speech. SFSU must immediately end its investigation.

If the California State University system’s policies are to blame for the university’s abysmal handling of faculty academic freedom, FIRE would welcome the opportunity to help evaluate those policies.

Last week, FIRE wrote SFSU after news broke of the university’s investigation of professor Maziar Behrooz for showing a drawing of Muhammad while teaching a class on the history of the Islamic world last fall. We criticized SFSU for violating Behrooz’s academic freedom right to determine what pedagogically relevant materials to use in his course. The university quickly responded the same day, claiming that because the university had already begun investigating, it had “limited ability to dismiss” the investigation. 

FIRE responded Monday, reiterating our concern for academic freedom at the university and explaining that it cannot continue violating someone’s rights just because an investigation has already started. The university responded within two hours with a campus-wide statement by President Lynn Mahoney that addressed its violation of Behrooz’s rights as well as protesters’ disruption of a recent student-organized event.

In the statement, SFSU committed to swiftly “address the concerns raised by all involved in this complaint” and blamed the “systemwide antidiscrimination policies” for its investigation, but did not say it would end its investigation of Behrooz.

If the California State University system’s policies are to blame for the university’s abysmal handling of faculty academic freedom, FIRE would welcome the opportunity to help evaluate those policies. In the meantime, SFSU’s violation of Behrooz’s First Amendment rights is ongoing, further chilling his and other faculty members’ speech with each passing day. This investigation is unacceptable — and unconstitutional — at a public university.

Professors stand up for academic freedom at SFSU

While FIRE has fought SFSU in the public sphere, professors committed to academic freedom have been on the ground urging the university to reverse course. Professors Trevor Getz and Jeff Greensite were present at Behrooz’s meeting with Title IX Coordinator Heather Borlase. They say that when asked, Borlase affirmed she would serve as “judge, jury, and executioner” — raising serious questions about due process at SFSU.

“Maziar’s case just exposed what’s beneath, and it’s a lot,” Getz said. “This is the tip of the iceberg.”

Getz and Greensite said they feel comfortable talking publicly about the meeting and criticizing the university because they’re tenured, but they fear for other faculty who are not so lucky. Both professors believe SFSU has violated other faculty members’ rights in situations that are not public. They say the university has maintained a positive reputation for its actions on free speech, while violating faculty rights behind the scenes.

“Maziar’s case just exposed what’s beneath, and it’s a lot,” Getz said. “This is the tip of the iceberg.”

Greensite agreed, saying administrators “want to work in the dark” and “don’t want light shone” on their actions. 

That’s exactly why FIRE’s here. As Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said, “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” We agree.

SFSU must end its investigation of Behrooz and commit to protecting faculty academic freedom. FIRE will continue to report on this situation until the university’s actions line up with its words in support of the First Amendment.

FIRE defends the rights of students and faculty members — no matter their views — at public and private universities and colleges in the United States. If you are a student or a faculty member facing investigation or punishment for your speech, submit your case to FIRE today. If you’re a faculty member at a public college or university, call the Faculty Legal Defense Fund 24-hour hotline at 254-500-FLDF (3533). If you’re a college journalist facing censorship or a media law question, call the Student Press Freedom Initiative 24-hour hotline at 717-734-SPFI (7734).