Wheaton College professor suspended after wearing hijab, posting Muslim solidarity statements

The Illinois liberal arts college released a statement explaining that it suspended Larycia Hawkins for “significant questions regarding the theological implications” of remarks she made in a Facebook post, opining that Muslims worship the “same God” as Christians. “And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God”, Hawkins wrote in the accompanying status.

In this December 13, 2015 photo, Larycia Hawkins, a Christian, and an associate professor of political science at Wheaton College, a private evangelical school in Wheaton, Ill., wears a hijab at a church service in Chicago.

Wheaton College spokeswoman LaTonya Taylor did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for information about how long the suspension would last, how unusual it was and who would conduct the review. Christian leaders also supported Hawkins at a news conference Wednesday.

“While Islam and Christianity are both monotheistic, we believe there are fundamental differences between the two faiths”, the college wrote. I love my Muslim neighbour because s/he deserves love by virtue of her/his human dignity.

“I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book”.

“Contrary to some media reports, social media activity and subsequent public perception, Dr. Hawkins’ administrative leave resulted from theological statements that seemed inconsistent with Wheaton College’s doctrinal convictions, and is in no way related to her race, gender or commitment to wear a hijab during Advent”, said the statement. And while, like Jews and Muslims, they believe their understanding of that God to be the most accurate, I suspect that the God of Abraham feels sufficiently identified in the worship of all three.

Larycia, a tenured sciene professor and Christian, posted the pictures and statement, showing that she was showing solidarity to Muslim women in America.

Wheaton College President Dr Philip Ryken said the college had “no stated position” on headscarves and supported American’s “right to free exercise of religion”. One level, it is a question of semantics: If there is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God, he can at least hear the prayers of everyone on earth, even if they are misdirected.

Unlike many other Christian schools, Wheaton requires all professors to sign a statement of faith, which affirms the literal truth of the Bible, the necessity of being “born again”, and other core tenets of evangelical Christianity. Some female protesters wore hijabs in solidarity; other women had already posted photos of themselves in the comments of Hawkins’s Facebook posts. David Burnham, a 21-year-old junior business and economics major from Florida, said the college suspended Hawkins over her statement, and had no other choice but to do so. “Thus, beginning tonight, my solidarity has become embodied solidarity”, she said.

Standing with a variety of Christian ministers, Dr. Hawkins held a press conference Wednesday defending her online statement. Those which are serious academic institutions-and Wheaton is one-want to nurture scholarship and free inquiry just like any other college does.