Nayeli Lomeli/Staff Writer
Larycia Hawkins was suspended from her position as a professor at Wheaton College after she made a Facebook post that said that Christians and Muslims worship the same god.
She will be visiting FIU on Monday, Oct. 28 to discuss religious solidarity with film director Linda Midgett at the “Worshipping the Same God” event.
Hawkins will talk about her experience of what happened after she posted a photo on Facebook of herself wearing a hijab to support Muslims.
Hawkins was a tenured professor at Wheaton College of Illinois, an evangelical school, during the time when then-presidential candidate Donald Trump called for a total ban of Muslims entering the United States.
In December 2015, she posted a photo of herself in a hijab on Facebook and titled it “I love my Muslim neighbor.” The post was 11 paragraphs long and it stated that Muslims and Christians worship the same god. She was suspended by the provost and her tenure was terminated.
Linda Midgett, Emmy-winning producer and Wheaton College alumna, produced a documentary on Hawkins’ experience called “Same God.”
The film was shown on Sunday, Oct. 27 at the Coral Gables United Church of Christ.
Mohamed K. Ghumrawi, a senior program coordinator at the FIU School of International and Public Affairs, said that events like these are important because they educate the community and help teach others about religions they are unfamiliar with.
“We hope that this event will broaden the perspective of those who attend and help illustrate that although we come from different backgrounds, cultures and religions, we should still stand in solidarity and support one another,” he said.
Ghumrawi said that Hawkins’ actions as a Christian were meant to show solidarity with the Muslim community in the United States.
Jessy Abouarab, the club advisor for the Women’s Studies Student Association (WSSA), said that during today’s social and political climate of division, solidarity is needed more than ever. She said that WSSA students will have the opportunity to connect with the gendered realities in today’s public sphere by exploring the controversy over job discrimination against women.
“Dr. Hawkins’ event will engage FIU students to deconstruct and learn the different forms and contexts of gender oppression that women still face within our communities,” Abouarab said.
She said that this event will empower FIU students to become conscious allies with gendered marginalized minorities by learning about the different systems of oppression that exist today and how to create positive social change.
The event is co-sponsored by the Coalition of South Florida Muslim Organizations (COSMOS), MCCJ, Ruth K. and Shepard Broad Distinguished Lecture Series and the Women’s Studies Student Association.
The “Worshipping the Same God” event is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 28 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in GC 243.
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