A Different Kind of Knock at the Door

This past Thursday (October 27), an art exhibit titled Amir Normandi, No Veil is Required at Harper College in Chicago was taken down after only a few hours on display. Several Muslim students complained about the artwork, which consisted of photographs of women in hijab and burqas, some of whom were in various states of nudity. ‘The Muslim students are thinking about boycotting Harper because of this,’ said Hussein Ali, 23. Ahmad Basalat, 21, said the exhibit expressed hatred toward Muslims. Rich Johnson, co-coordinator of international students at Harper, said that the school ordered the removal of the offending images because of the controversy. ‘This exhibit is not the type of artwork that the college endorses or advocates,’ said College spokesman Phil Burdick. ‘If this exhibit offends the sensibilities of any person or ethnic group, we deeply apologize.’

In a previous news post, an art exhibit entitled A Knock on the Door displayed controversial artwork at Ground Zero on 9/11 2005 under the premise that the U.S. government as well as conservative groups were attempting to stifle freedom of expression. Controversial artwork of this type is seldom removed for being offensive, and the First Amendment is oft cited as a bulwark against criticism. Is Harper College’s removal of No Veil Required a justified act of honest religious sensitivity that they would extend to any other religious group, or are they caving in to political correctness?