Cultivating the Next Generation of American Islamic Leadership

The Boston Islamic Seminary (BIS) is an academic institution that aims to train religious leaders who will serve the American Muslim community and to enhance the understanding of Islam in the contemporary context among people of all backgrounds.

Boston Islamic Seminary (BIS) began as an idea in 2008 among several active volunteers in the Boston Muslim community and has since grown into a degree-granting institution. The BIS founders recognized that the American Muslim community was at a defining moment in determining its future outlook and place in American culture.

Though they had seen growth in population and institutional development, there remained difficult and perplexing moral, intellectual, socioeconomic, and civic challenges that impede a more fruitful and God-conscious lived reality for Muslims in America. BIS was established to address the gap in qualified American Muslim religious leaders.

Vision, Mission, & Values

BIS endeavors to be a world-renowned graduate Islamic educational institution in America, offering accredited graduate-level degrees with the goal of producing Muslim American Religious leaders.

BIS envisions a society that has role models of practicing Muslims in all fields who are contributing to the wellbeing of America and the world.

Boston Islamic Seminary embraces equal opportunity and affirmative action as core values. The Seminary operates a school which admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school, and the Seminary does not discriminate on the basis of race in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. They believe that cultivating an environment that embraces and promotes diversity is fundamental to the success of students, employees and community.

Continuity and Authenticity

The Boston Islamic Seminary is committed to the authentic, balanced spiritual and intellectual heritage of Islam, deeply rooted in the compassionate teachings and wisdom of the Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Relevance and Practicality

BIS is committed to work together to develop practical Islamic solutions at the individual, family and community levels that also enrich broader environment.

Responsiveness and Rightfulness

Boston Islamic Seminary will train competent Muslim religious leaders who have the knowledge and skills to help communities navigate new issues and unforeseen circumstances with wisdom, integrity and dignified human interaction.

Founded in 2015

Established as a legal entity in 2015, the Seminary operated for the first several years under the auspices of Muslim American Society (MAS) Boston, relying on MAS Boston for significant operational support during their startup phase.

Master of Islamic Religious Leadership (MIRL) in 2018

In the summer of 2018, BIS became independent of MAS and in December 2020, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education unanimously approved BIS’s full-time Master of Islamic Religious Leadership (MIRL) program. BIS is the first Islamic Seminary in the United States to receive the authority to award this degree. The inaugural MIRL cohort commenced their studies in September 2021, and BIS looks forward to admitting subsequent cohorts as they grow this flagship program.

Website: https://www.bostonislamicseminary.org/