US Christian College to Remove Professor for Pro-Islam Remarks
January 06, 2016
A college in the midwestern U.S. state of Illinois is taking steps to fire a professor who linked Islam to Christianity in an online posting.
The administration at Wheaton College, a Christian evangelical university, has recommended associate professor Larycia Hawkins lose her tenured-track position.
In a December 10 posting on Facebook, Hawkins, a Christian, said she stands in religious solidarity with Muslims because they «are people of the book» and «worship the same God.»
The college says «while Islam and Christianity are both monotheistic, we believe there are fundamental differences between the two faiths.»
Wheaton College says it requested «further theological discussion and clarification» with Hawkins, but that the two sides were at an impasse.
Wheaton College says Hawkins’ comments violate the school’s ‘Statement of Faith’ which all faculty members are obligated to sign.
Hawkins, also announced last month she would wear the hijab (Muslim head covering) in an effort to show solidarity for Muslims who have been under scrutiny since mass shootings in Paris and San Bernardino, California.