Professor Larycia Alaine Hawkins upset administrators at Wheaton College when she donned a headscarf last month to show solidarity with the Muslim community in the wake of anti-Islamic sentiment across the country. Wheaton College, which touts itself as a Christian school, also had a problem with Hawkins when she said that Muslims and Christians worship the same God, quoting Pope Francis.  In a statement, Wheaton College initiated a termination-for-cause proceeding against Professor Larycia Hawkins on Tuesday, saying Hawkins wouldn t participate in  clarifying conversations  about theological issues.Here is the Facebook post that Wheaton found problematic://  I don t love my Muslim neighbor because s/he is American. I love my Muslim neighbor because s/he deserves love by virtue of her/his human dignity. I stand in human solidarity with my Muslim neighbor because we are formed of the same primordial clay, descendants of the same cradle of humankind a cave in Sterkfontein, South Africa that I had the privilege to descend into to plumb the depths of our common humanity in 2014. 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. But as I tell my students, theoretical solidarity is not solidarity at all. Thus, beginning tonight, my solidarity has become embodied solidarity. As part of my Advent Worship, I will wear the hijab to work at Wheaton College, to play in Chi-town, in the airport and on the airplane to my home state that initiated one of the first anti-Sharia laws (read: unconstitutional and Islamophobic), and at church. I invite all women into the narrative that is embodied, hijab-wearing solidarity with our Muslim sisters for whatever reason. A large scale movement of Women in Solidarity with Hijabs is my Christmas  # wish  this year. Perhaps you are a Muslim who does not wear the veil normally. Perhaps you are an atheist or agnostic who finds religion silly or inexplicable. Perhaps you are a Catholic or Protestant Christian like me. Perhaps you already cover your head as part of your religious worship, but not a hijab. I would like to add that I have sought the advice and blessing of one of the preeminent Muslim organizations in the United States, the Council on American Islamic Relations,  # CAIR , where I have a friend and Board colleague on staff. I asked whether a non-Muslim wearing the hijab was haram (forbidden), patronizing, or otherwise offensive to Muslims. I was assured by my friends at CAIR-Chicago that they welcomed the gesture. So please do not fear joining this embodied narrative of actual as opposed to theoretical unity; human solidarity as opposed to mere nationalistic, sentiment. The statement above sends a message of love and tolerance and it s the college that exudes intolerance and Islamophobia by firing this courageous woman. Professors also have the right to academic freedom. One can only imagine the consequences of muzzling professors because they speak about important social issues. One of the most cherished aspects of the American way is the right to freedom of speech. Wheaton College has violated that right by moving to terminate the professor. A petition signed by tens of thousands has been circulating to reinstate the professor.Here is what Illinois Committee A on Academic Freedom had to say about Wheaton s actions: There can be no doubt that Wheaton s attempt to fire a professor for expressing support for Muslims is an attack on academic freedom. But what few have realized is that this bigotry also an attack on the Christian values of loving thy neighbor that Wheaton pretends to embrace. The administration at Wheaton is not just betraying the values of freedom that every true college must stand for, they are also betraying the values of Wheaton College itself. Here is Professor Hawkins  graceful response on the move to terminate her: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SRRq3SdcBo] Show your support for Professor Hawkins by signing and sharing this petition.Featured image: screegrab