During the Advent season, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, Dr. Larycia Hawkins, a tenured professor at Wheaton College, wore a hijab as part of her worship. She announced it on Facebook on December 10. Just five days later, Wheaton College placed her on administrative leave. In January 2016, the college began formal proceedings to terminate her employment. In less than one month, this highly regarded professor has had to defend her faith and statements not just to her employers, but to the entire nation.
What Did She Say That Was So Bad?
Before donning the hijab, Hawkins sought the advice of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). They are one of the predominate Muslim organizations in America, established to promote a positive image of the Islamic community. According to her Facebook post, she wanted to make sure that she would not be patronizing or offensive by wearing the hijab. She also ensured that it was not forbidden to her, because she is Christian.
In her statement, she said, “I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God.” Some individuals associated with the college took this as a theological nod to Islam. Hawkins has repeatedly affirmed her own faith and commitment to Christianity. In addition, she submitted a theological statement to the college concerning her convictions. Before the holiday, she was placed on administrative leave during the spring semester while the administration reviewed the statement.
Why Is She Coming Under Fire?
Wheaton College has come out with a statement of their own in which they iterate that placing Hawkins on leave was not because she was wearing a hijab. It is her statement about Christians and Muslims worshipping the same God. When Wheaton College announced that it would begin formal proceedings, the statement also included information that Hawkins was not participating in any more dialogue.
Even Christianity Today admits that Christians and Muslims share the same history, along with Jews, believing in the God of Abraham. Although none of these faiths share identical beliefs in God, if you look at biblical history, you can’t deny that Abraham was the father of both Ishmael and Isaac. Hawkins has stated for the record that she has affirmed the college’s statement of faith, not just once when she started teaching, but multiple times over her employment at Wheaton since 2007 when she joined the faculty. In 2014, she was tenured, an honor never before granted to an African American female at Wheaton College.
Doesn’t She Have Tenure?
Tenure is often considered a professor’s permanency. Tenure is often misconstrued as the inability to fire a professor. Actually, it just means that the college must go through due process to terminate the individual. It’s a contractual protection that ensures the college has to show cause over why the professor is being let go. Originally, tenure was supposed to promote academic freedom, but in recent years it has come under fire because professors must conform to the belief system of where they are seeking tenure. Wheaton College is a Christian, evangelical college, and professors do sign a statement of faith.
Tenure may not protect Hawkins, but that’s not to say the controversy won’t benefit her career. She is an extremely well-written individual with many books and conference presentations in her field. As a professor with Wheaton College, it’s almost as if she’s given up her own freedom of speech. She might be better off finding another college where she can speak her mind and open a dialogue between people of faith. It’s when you understand the path another is taking that you develop empathy for the road they’re taking. This only happens when people can discuss their differences.