Christian college professor wears hijab in solidarity with Muslim women

Wheaton, a prominent evangelical college near Chicago, said the decision to place Hawkins on administrative leave was not for wearing the Islamic head covering but over “significant questions regarding the theological implications of statements that [Hawkins] made about the relationship of Christianity to Islam”.

In response to Hawkins’ comments, Wheaten College released a statement Wednesday afternoon notifying the public that it had placed her on administrative leave.

The College says they have “no stated position on the wearing of headscarves as a gesture of care and concern for those in Muslim or other religious communities that may face discrimination or persecution”.

Hawkins hasn’t responded directly to the decision, but did defend herself from detractors online after initially posting the pictures.

While Hawkins did not need to seek approval from Wheaton, she did seek advice from the Council on American Islamic Relations, to make sure she did not offend Muslims.

Hawkins’ explanation ruffled feathers among administrators at the private evangelical Christian college, who said that she was wrongfully conflating the two religions.

However, the statement also noted that “overtures of Christian friendship must be enacted with theological clarity as well as compassion”. In a follow-up to her original Facebook post, Hawkins cited an article by theologian and Yale professor Miroslav Volf in which he wrote that the God of the Bible and the God of the Quran are “one God, albeit differently understood”.

In a Facebook post about her photographs, Hawkins linked her choice to wear the hijab to her own Christian worship this Advent.

“My wearing of the hijab as an act of advent devotion has certainly caused some to question the sincerity of my devotion”, she wrote on December 13. “And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God”, she said in her Facebook post, adding she loves her Muslim neighbor. “Jesus calls us to love our neighbors, and the Muslims are our neighbors”. It’s also fairly common among Mainline Protestants, although sometimes nuanced to insist that while Christians and Muslims believe in the same God, they do not worship the same God.

According to her bio at Wheaton College, Hawkins previously worked in state government administering federal programs, including the Social Security Disability Programs and the Community Development Block Grant.