Wheaton College professor Larycia Hawkins pauses during a news conference on Jan. 6, 2016, in Chicago.(Photo: M. Spencer Green, AP)
CHICAGO — A Christian college professor who sparked nationwide debate<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— and scrutiny from her<span style="color: Red;">*</span>school — after donning a hijab and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>saying that Muslims and Christians worship the same God will leave her post.
Wheaton College, outside of Chicago, and political science professor Larycia Hawkins<span style="color: Red;">*</span>have reached a confidential agreement in which they will "part ways," the college said in a statement Saturday.
“Wheaton College sincerely appreciates Dr. Hawkins’ contributions to this institution over the last nine years,” the college's president, Philip Graham Ryken, said in the statement. “We are grateful for her passionate teaching, scholarship, community service and mentorship of our students.”
The controversy began when the tenured professor<span style="color: Red;">*</span>received attention in Christian media outlets<span style="color: Red;">*</span>after<span style="color: Red;">*</span>announcing she would wear a traditional head scarf, known as a hijab, through the Christmas<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Advent season. She said she<span style="color: Red;">*</span>started wearing the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>hijab as part of a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>personal effort<span style="color: Red;">*</span>to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>show solidarity with Muslims, who have faced backlash after<span style="color: Red;">*</span>last year's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>mass shootings in Paris and San Bernardino,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Calif.
The college, located in Chicago's western suburb of Wheaton<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and one of the most prominent Christian colleges in the country,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said it had no position on her decision to wear a head scarf. Administrators<span style="color: Red;">*</span>raised concerns about<span style="color: Red;">*</span>subsequent<span style="color: Red;">*</span>comments she made on her
<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Facebook page, in which<span style="color: Red;">*</span>paraphrased comments from<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Pope Francis<span style="color: Red;">*</span>that Christians and Muslims worship the same God.
Wheaton officials<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said that her comments ran counter to the college's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>statement of faith, which underscores that a biblical perspective informs a Wheaton education.
USA TODAY
Professor suspended after saying Christians, Muslims have same God
Hawkins maintained that her comments<span style="color: Red;">*</span>did not conflict with the statement of faith.
Hawkins was placed on administrative leave after the statements, and the college began efforts to dismiss her even as the professor received backing from many faculty members, students and alumni.
In a separate e-mail to faculty on Saturday, Wheaton provost Stan Jones<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said he apologized to Hawkins for a "lack of wisdom and collegiality" for initially contacting Hawkins about her statements through a colleague.
“I appreciate and have great respect for the Christian liberal arts and the ways that Wheaton College exudes that in its mission, programs, and in the caliber of its employees and students," Hawkins said in a statement released by the college.
Follow USA TODAY Chicago correspondent<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Aamer Madhani on Twitter:<span style="color: Red;">*</span>AamerISmad
Powered By WizardRSS.com |
Full Text RSS Feed
