There is a deeply disturbing controversy at Wheaton College where Larycia Hawkins, an associate professor of political science at Wheaton College, has been suspended after she wore a hijab throughout Advent as an act of “solidarity with my Muslim sisters.” Hawkins is Christian but believed that her Christian Advent values called for her to extend his symbol of kindness and support to Muslims. On Facebook, she wrote “I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book.” That caused an outrage and her ultimately suspension.
Some viewed the statement as conflating Christian and Muslim faiths, even though Muslims regard Jesus as a prophet of God. Wheaton College would have none of it: “While Islam and Christianity are both monotheistic, we believe there are fundamental differences between the two faiths, including what they teach about God’s revelation to humanity, the nature of God, the path to salvation and the life of prayer.”
Hawkins was going to take off the Hijab at Christmas and said that it’s “a time of real vitriolic rhetoric by fellow Christians sometimes and people who aren’t Christian who conflate all Muslims with terrorist — and that saddens me — so this is a way of saying if all women wear the hijab we cannot discriminate. If all women were in solidarity, who is the real Muslim? How is TSA going to decide who they really suspect?”
The fact is that this is not a violation of the First Amendment because the college is not a state actor. It is a religious based institution that has a right to set its own rules based on that faith. I simply believe that the college is wrong and has taken a message of solidarity and replaced it with a message of intolerance. Moreover, the statement being attacked was made on social media by this academic. I have previously written about the increasing monitoring and discipline of teachers for conduct in their private lives. We have seen teachers face discipline over social media pictures holding a weapon. Even a picture of a teacher holding a glass of a drink is enough to trigger discipline.
Wheaton College stressed that Hawkins should have cleared any statements or actions in advance, raising concerns over the right to free speech for teachers. The college said “Wheaton College faculty and staff make a commitment to accept and model our institution’s faith foundations with integrity, compassion and theological clarity. As they participate in various causes, it is essential that faculty and staff engage in and speak about public issues in ways that faithfully represent the college’s evangelical Statement of Faith.”
Source: Chicago Tribune
Since professors at colleges teach our children or have influence over them, they should keep their religious and or political opinions quiet.
This is another immature agitator trying to cause trouble. If she wants to make a statement, do it on her own time and grow up and act like a professional.
And also too
Thanks for balancing out the posts a bit professor!
People need to respect and glorify kindness, sharing, caring, cooperation, and mutual respect while rejecting destructive religious rules of dress and other ancient customs. In my experience, normal people tend to be far more kind, generous, helpful, and respectful, than religionists who tend to be self-serving, selfish, greedy, hateful, and divisive.
Of course Wheaton doesn’t take an federal dollars, right? No Pell grants, no federa student loans? I’m sure all their student money comes from good Christian donors so they are then free to discriminate as they please.
If not then they should comply with federal law and knock it off. This is what Americas own sharia law looks like.
What I find interesting is that if I were a Muslim, I’m not sure I would want someone wearing a hijab to pretend to be part of my religion. Much like I wouldn’t want people to carry the rosary under false pretense. In my book what she did is disrespectful to both sides.
LOL!
Nick – ying/yang examples:
I’m going with the Buddhist Dalai Lama clothing. The latest fashion fad. Throw away all Italian Canali business suits.
Dennis Hastert is a Wheaton College grad. But, so is United Flight 93 hero, Todd Beamer. Just giving some ying/yang examples.
With the hundreds of liberal/fascist intolerance examples every month on campus, I suppose putting up this post from a fundamental Christian College had to be done. JT was pressured on another liberal/fascist thread to put this one up. Fairness Doctrine? LOL.
Reblogged this on L'horreur islamique à l'âge des ténèbres ن.
Jesus wept. Maybe there were better ways but good grief!
TinEar,
Are you familiar with Christianity? Are you familar with what Muslims believe? How about Evangelicals and what they believe (Evangelicals are too conservative in their Christian Faith for me)? Are you familiar with terms of an faculty appointment at a Christian Evangelical College? Did she violate her contract as a tenured faculty member? They didn’t fire her (they might as well. Her career is finished at this institution.), but being suspended as a faculty member is like being given a final written warning in Corporate America.
I am disappointed with tenured, Prof. JT’s statements of disapproval toward the college, without knowing what is expected of a faculty member at a Christian Evangelical College, and the agreed upon contract. Hence, the reason why I asked him if the AAUP supports Dr. Hawkins’ actions.
She is an associate professor of political science and said she was wearing the hijab to show solidarity with Muslim women who are discriminated against and profiled. She planned to to take the hijab off at Christmas. She was making a political statement, wearing the hijab as a form of protest or symbolic speech. She clearly states that she is a Christian. I believe her actions are consistent with her employment as a political science professor, as well as a Christian at a Christian college. She was really just trying to make the statement that not everyone who wears a hijab is a terrorist. And she was trying to provoke thought and to encourage her students to examine their assumptions and prejudices, which is what a professor should do.
BarkinDog,
Wheaton College is located in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. It is an Evangelical Protestant Christian Liberal Arts College.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheaton_College_(Illinois)
Wow! It wouldn’t surprise me if the notable alumni had a say in her suspension: Billy Graham, William Lane Craig, Josh McDowell, Norman Geisler, etc.
To Dr. Hawkins,
You have a Ph.D in Political Science, and a Masters in Public Administration. So, you decided to work for a private Christian college, claiming to be a Christian, while taking a ‘stand of solidarity in support of Muslim Women’? Are you kidding me? To much faculty wine during those Christmas parties? Your Christian beliefs are totally against the religion of Islam.
JT,
Is the AAUP supporting her?
How sad. For those of us on the outside of Religion, it appears Christians are no more tolerant than other religions. What could be more Christ-like than expressing solidarity with another?
The Quran calls for theocracy, commands it by any means in fact. Islam is antithetical to democracy and commands the use of violence, deception, lies, all without qualifications. Islam is not a religion of peace if the Quran commands otherwise, which it does to the lowest extreme. I believe many Muslims are simply unaware of their own religion just as many Christians appear to be. But in the end, each religion’s leaders will follow the writings of their religion. It behooves the wise to be well informed.
What is the religion at Wheaton College and where the heck is it?
Thank God the Evangelicals at Wheaton still have the b@lls to do what is right. Their sandbox, their rules. Finally, a university administration unafraid to stand on its principles and not cave to the far Left’s social agenda. About time. There is still hope. Let this loon pull this at Harvard or Dartmouth. She would be welcomed with open arms in those cesspools.
“I simply believe that the college is wrong and has taken a message of solidarity and replaced it with a message of intolerance.” – JT
well said
// well . must be a misunderstanding // thank you xz