Chicago, IL, 12/10/19 — Zakat Foundation of America announces a partnership with the makers of the documentary “Same God.” The documentary, by award-winning director Linda Midgett, explores the polarization taking place within America over issues of race, Islam, religious freedom, and Donald Trump via the journey of Dr. Larycia Hawkins.
Zakat Foundation believes in putting humanity above all else. This has been a driving principle at Zakat Foundation of America’s work to empower lives around the globe regardless of creed or color. Serving as a vehicle for humanitarianism and social change, Zakat Foundation believes in honest community engagement and conversation that allows people to see each other’s humanity first. Zakat Foundation’s partnership with “Same God” is a path-paving effort toward this global vision for a better world.
Dr. Hawkins is a former political science professor at Wheaton College, a prestigious evangelical school outside of Chicago. In 2015, when Dr. Hawkins posted a photo of herself in a hijab on Facebook in solidarity with Muslims feeling targeted in the hostile climate of Trump’s Muslim Ban, along with a post that states “…we worship the same God," she had to face consequences that she would have never anticipated.
“Larycia went through unbelievable national and communal pressure and vilification,” said Halil Demir, Zakat Foundation executive director. “In the face of so much hate and arrogance, Larycia stood firm, upholding the most defining and exemplary of Christian virtues: love and humility. What a fair and brave soul is Larycia, a friend to truth and Muslims.”
From being placed on administrative leave within days of her post to her ultimately losing her tenured position with Wheaton College, “Same God” details the cost of solidarity in today’s political climate. “Same God” is an eye-opening film about the risks that ordinary people can take when they choose humanity above all else.
For those interested in attending a screening of this documentary, screenings are as follows:
