Dr. Larycia Hawkins taught political science at the Christian school and decided to wear the hijab as a show of solidarity with Muslims, saying they and Christians alike are "people of the book." She also quoted Pope Francis' statement that "we worship the same God." (See earlier story)
Jason Jimenez, director of Stand Strong Ministries with Dr. Alex McFarland, says while Muslims might be able to trace their lineage to Ishmael, son of Abraham, they aren't under the same covenant as Christians and Jews. A "devout" Muslim, he says, would disagree with Hawkins' statements.
"They would not say that Christians and Jews and Muslims worship the same god," he tells OneNewsNow. "... That's actually an offensive claim and a violation to the very teachings of the Koran and the Hadith."
Jimenez stresses that Hawkins made another serious mistake by contacting a pro-Islamic organization, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.
"She went to CAIR [the Council on American-Islamic Relations] and wanted to make sure that, if she wore – as a non-Muslim – the hijab, that she wasn't offending anybody," he summarizes.
"But what about going to the school that she not only works for but signed a covenant and a doctrinal statement and upholds to but also represents the school? She never went to them and asked for their permission."
Hawkins has been suspended while Wheaton officials work through the problem, but Jimenez notes the situation reflects what many Christian institutions are going through: hiring liberal teachers who tend to stray from sound biblical theology.
Related commentary by Brian Fischer:
No, Christians and Muslims do not worship the same God
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A Christian apologist says there's something a suspended Wheaton College professor forgot when she decided to don a Muslim hijab.
A longtime political activist says parents in Virginia were right to complain after learning students were taught a controversial Arabic text in class.