The Islam-UK Centre, based in the Department of Religious & Theological Studies at Cardiff University, was launched in 2005 by Yusuf Islam (‘Cat Stevens’). Since then, the Centre has grown to become the leading academic institution for research and teaching about Islam and Muslims in Britain.

Cardiff has one of the oldest and most diverse Muslim populations in the UK. Some of the earliest mosques were founded in the city in the early 20th century. Today, there are over 45,000 Muslims in Wales, nearly half of whom live in Cardiff itself (Census 2011). This makes Cardiff an ideal location for learning more about the history and contemporary situation of Muslim communities in Britain.

The Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK has a strong and positive relationship with the local Muslim community. Local Muslims form part of the Centre’s Advisory Group. The Centre serves as an accessible, vibrant, and inclusive hub of learning about Islam in Cardiff and South Wales—for Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

The Islam-UK Centre also maintains a virtual platform featuring a range of research resources accessible beyond Cardiff, such as dissertations written by former Jameel MA and PhD Scholars, as well as recordings of many of the Centre’s annual public lectures and other events.

Research

The Islam-UK Centre has a strong track record of undertaking interdisciplinary research on a wide range of subjects connected to the lives of Muslims in Britain. In recent years, this has included work on Muslim chaplaincy, the religious nurture and education of Muslim children, Islamic environmentalism, and the intersection of religious ‘courts’ with civil family law.

The Centre is now a hub for research on Islam and Muslims within Cardiff University. It has collaborated with the School of Social Sciences, the School of Music, Cardiff Law School, and the School of Architecture, and maintains strong links with Cardiff Business School and the Cardiff Centre for Chaplaincy Studies.

The research income associated with the Islam-UK Centre to date is approximately £800,000, while its Jameel Scholarship Program (£1m) supports doctoral and postdoctoral researchers working on a wide range of subjects.

The Centre offers fully funded scholarships for PhD/Doctoral research in British Muslim Studies, supported by the Jameel Scholarship Program.

The Centre currently offers one international PhD Jameel Scholarship and two UK PhD Jameel Scholarships in British Muslim Studies for suitably qualified students with innovative and significant PhD proposals.

The PhD programme is based in the School of History, Archaeology and Religion and supervised by the Islam-UK Centre at Cardiff University.

While many of the Centre’s researchers are based in the UK, the Centre has also welcomed visiting international scholars from Italy, the USA, and Poland.

The Islam-UK Centre at Cardiff University is at the cutting edge of research in the emerging field of ‘British Muslim Studies’, and now has an international reputation as the leading center of excellence for the study of Islam and Muslims in Britain.

Projects

In recent years the Centre’s research has included work on:

• Muslim chaplaincy
• The religious nurture and education of Muslim children
• Islamic environmentalism
• The intersection of religious ‘courts’ with civil family law

Staff

• Professor Sophie Gilliat-Ray – Professor in Religious and Theological Studies, Head of Islam UK Centre
• Dr Michael Munnik – Senior Lecturer in Social Science Theories and Methods, Director of Learning and Teaching
• Mark Bryant – Development Officer for the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK (Islam-UK)
• Lucy Wilkinson – Project Director
• Professor Matthew Wilkinson – Professor of Religion in Public Life
• Dr Mansur Ali – Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies & Director of Postgraduate Research
• Dr Abdul-Azim Ahmed – Lecturer in British Muslim Studies
• Dr Asma Khan – Honorary Research Fellow
• Dr Saira Malik – Reader in Islamic Philosophy, History & Culture
• Dr Sarah Marusek – Social Media and Impact Officer (Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK)
• Dr Haroon Sidat – Research Associate
• Dr Riyaz Timol – Research Fellow in British Muslim Studies

Contacts

• Address: Islam-UK Centre, School of History, Archaeology and Religion, John Percival Building, Colum Drive, Cardiff CF10 3EU, UK
• Phone: +44 29 2087 0121
• Email: islam-uk@cardiff.ac.uk
• Website: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/islamukcentre

The Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) at the University of Toronto develops research projects that improve society’s understanding of Islam and Muslims. By centering Islam and Muslims, the IIS offers a critical viewpoint from which we can better understand our world.

The Center exists to transform the study of Islam and Muslims into an enriching, panoramic view of human society and the world we inhabit.

The center’s research produces enriching perspectives about Islam and Muslims across four broad areas:

• Academia: Research that questions, expands, and diversifies the production of knowledge on Islam and Muslims.
• Policy: Research that critically looks at global governance, regulation, and policies through the Muslim experience.
• Community: Research that integrates the lived experience of Canada’s diverse Muslims to support democracy and inclusion.
• Culture: Research and programming that weaves Islamic and Muslim modes of cultural production as part of our shared, rich tapestry.

IIS Projects

The IIS has a proven history of developing high-quality research projects that are calibrated to the issues facing Muslims in Canada.

• Structural Islamophobia Research Lab (SIRL)
  The IIS’ “Structural Islamophobia Research Lab (SiRL)” supports and produces high-quality research on structural Islamophobia in Canada. It sponsors scholarship examining the formation and operation of Islamophobia in the form of institutional policy or bureaucratic practice, and explore them using creative research methodologies. It’s current project examines Muslim families’ experiences with child welfare services in Ontario.

• Islamic Art & Material Culture Collaborative (IAMCC)
  The Islamic Art and Material Culture Collaborative is a Toronto-based research collaboration between the IIS, the Aga Khan Museum (AKM), and the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). IAMCC curates public events and fosters interdisciplinary research on Islamic art and material culture.

• Muslims in Canada Data Initiative (MiCDI)
  MiCDI is a research initiative focused on creating and analyzing large data on Muslims in Canada. It undertakes projects that are developed by the research team or in collaboration with external partners. MiCDI produces data-informed studies to improve the visibility of Muslims across Canada. MiCDI is led by a team of experienced sociologists and quantitative specialists from across Canada’s research universities.

• Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA)
  The Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA) is a community-calibrated, professional quality archive service to uniquely document the rich heritage of Muslims in Canada. MiCA fills in a gap of Muslim history amongst Canada’s memory institutions. It acquires, organizes, preserves, and makes accessible records of and about Canadian Muslim individuals and organizations that possess enduring value for the preservation of the history and documentary heritage of Muslims in Canada.

• Reading Muslims
  Reading Muslims is an interdisciplinary research endeavor involving local and international scholars, and centers on textuality in Islamic studies. Reading Muslims features four research hubs that interrogate textuality and its place in the formation of community identities in dynamic societies, both past and present.

• Under Layered Suspicion
  The IIS’ publication “Under Layered Suspicion” examined potential biases and prejudicial practices of CRA audits of Muslim-led charities. This work led to a series of of examinations to better improve relations and understanding between Muslim-led charity sector and the Charities Directorate.

• Hearing Palestine
• Islam in the City

The IIS also hosts and participates in a variety of events related to the study of Islam and Muslims.

Staff

• Anver Emon – Director, Institute of Islamic Studies
• Mitra Fakhrashrafi – Archivist, Muslims in Canada Archives
• Aly Rattansi – Archivist, Muslims in Canada Archives
• Zainab Yusofi – Administrative, Outreach, and Communications Officer
• Dilyara Agisheva – Postdoctoral Fellow
• Sara Hamed – Postdoctoral Fellow
• Sharifa Patel – Postdoctoral Fellow
• Fahad Ahmad – Advisor, Structural Islamophobia Research Lab
• Abdie Kazemipur – Data Team, Muslims in Canada Data Initiative

Contacts

• Address: 170 St. George Street, Suite 530, Toronto, ON, Canada M5R 2M8
• Email: islamicstudies@utoronto.ca
• Website: https://islamicstudies.artsci.utoronto.ca/

The Shi’a Research Institute, based in Toronto, Canada, is an academic organization committed to advancing the scholarly study of Shi’a Islam. Created to address the growing need for accessible and rigorous Shi’a scholarship in North America, SRI brings together academics and researchers passionate about deepening the understanding of Shi’i intellectual traditions in a modern context.

In the past two decades, new research centers have emerged that advance Islamic scholarship with Canadian academic institutions. However, the Shi’a perspective remains underrepresented, with little effort made to understand the religious dynamics of Shi’i Islam or engage deeply with its committed community. This gap led to the founding of SRI by a group of scholars, educators, and professionals who envisioned an academic space rooted in authentic Shi’i thought.

SRI’s mission is to be the leading institution for Shi’i studies in North America, offering a platform for the study and dissemination of Shi’a Islamic thought. As a private non-profit supported by the grassroots Shi’a community, they blend faith-based and scholarly approaches to education. SRI is not only concerned with preserving tradition, but also with critically engaging with it—asking difficult questions, encouraging dialogue, and nurturing intellectual growth.

SRI offers a wide range of activities designed to inspire and educate. These include public lectures, academic conferences, and short-term courses that explore various aspects of Shi’i theology, history, and philosophy. One of its key initiatives is The Insight, a podcast and interview series that features discussions with scholars and thought leaders on pressing contemporary topics. The Institute also regularly publishes original research, translation work, and analytical essays through its online platform, contributing valuable perspectives to both academic and public discourse.

Board of Directors

• Principal: Syed Muhammad Rizvi
• Academic Director: Vinay Khetia
• Directors: Akil Karim and Syed Mahdi Rizvi

Contacts

• Address: Suite 313, Toronto School of Theology, 47 Queen’s Park Crescent East, Toronto, ON M5S 2C3, Canada
• Phone: +1 (416) 624-7861
• Email: info@shiaresearch.ca
• Website: https://shiaresearch.ca/

The First Muslim Institution of Higher Education in America

American Islamic College’s undergraduate program, well rounded and grounded in a solid Liberal Arts & Science framework, prepares the students for more than just a career; it prepares the students for a life of purpose and impact. Careers in government, education, international relations, law enforcement, foreign service, diversity and inclusion, translation, social service administration, chaplaincy, spiritual care and religious leadership, military, international business or relief work, further graduate or professional study and many other fields will be within reach with an AIC bachelor’s degree. Statistics show that these occupations will continue to be in high demand in a changing world.

AIC is now just one of two independent Muslim colleges in America that have achieved academic accreditation on their own merits.

History

American Islamic College was incorporated in September 1981 as a private, not-for-profit, four-year institution of higher education meant to offer especially strong programs in Islamic Studies and the Arabic Language. In November 1982, AIC received authority from the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) to operate as a postsecondary institution. The search for suitable premises led to the purchase of its present property in March 1983.

The College first opened its doors to students in September 1983 and in May 1984, IBHE bestowed degree-granting authority on AIC for the B.A. in Arabic Studies and the B.A. in Islamic Studies.

Beginning in 2009, American Islamic College embarked upon a new phase of significant reorganization and the installation of a reformed governance structure and a new administration. In 2010, the campus buildings and grounds underwent extensive renovation and remodeling. It was then that AIC reemerged as a revitalized resource of the Muslim community, hosting two consecutive international conferences on Islam in America, organizing public lectures and offering a variety of non-credit and non-degree classes in subjects such as Islamic History, Islamic Art, and Arabic. In the Fall of 2013, after being granted IBHE operating authority once again, the College reopened its doors to undergraduate students and—for the first time—graduate students.

American Islamic College was granted Candidacy Status for Accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) in February 2020 and Initial Accreditation in March 2024.

Vision

Welcoming students of all faiths and backgrounds, American Islamic College (AIC) is a Chicago-based institution of higher learning grounded in Islamic values and steeped in Islam’s rich and diverse intellectual and cultural traditions. AIC promotes appreciation for the scope and richness of Islamic history and civilization both in and beyond the classroom by means of significant research, impactful teaching, and informative public events highlighting Islam’s intellectual, artistic, and cultural expressions. Through rigorous scholarship and a commitment to social justice, the collective good, civic involvement, interfaith understanding, and intercultural engagement, AIC prepares students to become critical thinkers, visionary leaders, and responsible global citizens.

Mission

To be a fully accredited university that will serve the diverse American Muslim community and the nation as a whole in perpetuity; to offer rigorous and professionally sound programs that prepare students to take up educational, leadership, and policy-making roles in American society; to serve as a resource for American institutions and individuals seeking academically anchored and culturally competent knowledge about Islam and Muslims.

Academic Programs

• Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies

The Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies is a four-year sequence of instructional coursework that culminates in the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. The Islamic Studies component of the Program features content and pedagogy commensurate with the disciplines of Islamic and Religious Studies, Qur’anic and Hadith studies, Islamic legal theory, classical Islamic theology and philosophy, Islamic spirituality, and allied social science, economic and political theories.

Students must also fulfill standard Bachelor’s level requirements in general education, imparting a solid foundation in the humanities as well as the social and physical sciences. Upon completion, graduates will be prepared to pursue academic, occupational and career options, which are appropriately aligned with this field of study. The Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies Program requires 120 semester hours.

• Master of Arts in Islamic Studies

The MA degree program is designed to provide students with a rigorous background in both traditional and analytical approaches to Islamic Studies. The program offers two distinct areas of concentration: Islamic Theology and Islam and Global Studies. The Islamic Theology concentration will train students in such disciplines as Qur’anic studies, Hadith studies, Islamic Jurisprudence (al-Fiqh), and Islamic Spirituality. The Islam and Global Studies concentration will focus on Islamic history, international studies, and critical theory. Students in both tracks will take the same core courses, thus ensuring that students acquire a well-rounded foundation in both areas.

MDiv students, or MA students who wish to go on for the Master of Divinity in Islamic Studies must select the Islamic Theology concentration.

All MA students are expected to complete 36 credit hours. Students at the graduate level are required to take 21 credit hours as part of the core requirements and 15 credit hours in their concentration. As part of the MA program, students are required to complete a MA Thesis which is counted as a 3 credit 500-level course within the chosen area of concentration.

• Master of Divinity in Islamic Studies

The Master of Divinity in Islamic Studies, which composes our Muslim Chaplaincy Program, is a 72-credit degree program designed specifically for students who wish to become professional and credentialed Muslim leaders, spiritual caregivers, or chaplains. AIC’s MDIV curriculum in Islamic Studies lays the groundwork for learning the foundational Islamic knowledge that equips students with training in fields—such as religious history, theology, scriptural studies, Islamic spiritual counseling, and ethics of professional practice—that parallel for Muslim chaplains much of the seminary or rabbinical school training that many future chaplains from other traditions undergo as part of their spiritual formation and preparation to serve as faith representatives in public settings.

AIC’s Muslim Chaplaincy Program curriculum also fulfills national standards for equivalencies in religious training and leadership set by the Board of Chaplaincy Certification, should Muslim chaplaincy students seek this form of certification in the future. Additionally, AIC’s Muslim Chaplaincy Program partners with equivalent graduate programs in the network of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools that allows cross course registration and the expansion of interfaith experience that Muslim students will need as future chaplains in secular and multi-faith public settings.

Finally, Muslim Chaplaincy Program students are required to complete Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), Field Education, as well as courses related to counseling, spiritual care, and applied leadership skills as a part of their holistic preparation to serve as Muslim faith leaders in multi-religious and/or secular public institutions such as hospitals, prisons, the military, and universities.

AIC’s Master of Divinity in Islamic Studies program has affiliate status with the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).

Contacts

• Address: 640 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613, US
• Phone: +1 (773) 281-4700
• Email: info@aicusa.edu
• Website: https://aicusa.edu/

Islamia College was founded in 1984 and was located in Rylands Estate, Cape Town, South Africa as the Habibia Girls College under the leadership of the community-based board of directors. The school started with 2 grades and 47 students in the storeroom of Habibia Masjid and now the institute is based in Rondebosch East and has grown to a campus with five schools.

Islamia now has a joint student population of over 1699 students, with multiple successes in the fields of academia, sport, humanities and technology. Islamia College has been placed in the upper echelons of educational institutions in Cape Town.

School Structure

Islamia College is made up of 5 institutions; the pre-primary school, primary school, Girls’ High School, Boys’ High School, and a Hifth Academy. Each of these institutions has its own principal who forms part of the Islamia Governing Council (IGC) along with the CEO of Islamia College. The aim of the IGC is to make sure of the smooth running of the school and includes aspects of education, maintenance, development and communications. Reporting to the principals are the subject Head of Departments in the various institutions.

Mission and Vision

Islamia’s mission aims at promoting excellence through the provision of holistic education, compatible with Islamic principles and practices and empowering students to live harmoniously in multicultural society.

Islamia’s vision is to produce well balanced, enlightened, empowered, independent-thinking, conscientious human beings, subscribing to Divine guidance and emulating the ideals of prophetic examples who play a constructive role as compassionate, informed individuals in society.

Contacts

Address: 409 Imam Haron Road, Lansdowne, Cape Town, 7800, South Africa

Phone: +27 21 696 5600

Email: info@islamia.co.za

Website: https://islamiacollege.co.za

The Abdallah S. Kamel Center for the Study of Islamic Law and Civilization at Yale Law School brings prominent scholars of Islam to the Yale campus for public lectures, seminar discussions, visiting fellowships, and visiting professorships.

Under the direction of Professors Owen Fiss, Asli Bali, and Anthony T. Kronman, the Abdallah S. Kamel Center for the Study of Islamic Law and Civilization at Yale Law School consists of the following components:

• A lecture series on Islamic law and civilization: The lecture series continues the successful Dallah Albaraka Lectures on Islamic Law & Civilization, now the Abdallah S. Kamel Lectures on Islamic Law & Civilization, which have been hosted by the Law School for the past two years. The series will bring scholars, writers, and practitioners in a range of disciplines to Yale University for public lectures and discussions. The lectures are recorded and available for viewing.
• Research fellowships for fellows in residence at the Law School: The fellows will contribute to the intellectual life of the Law School while also building relationships among colleagues at the university.
• Visiting professorships: The Abdallah S. Kamel Center for the Study of Islamic Law and Civilization at Yale Law School will host distinguished scholars in the field of Islamic law and civilization who will spend a semester at the Law School to teach courses in their area of expertise. Visiting professors will also offer public lectures and engage with students and faculty at the Law School and Yale University.
• Student fellowships for advanced studies: Student fellowships will support research, travel, and training for students engaged in projects related to Islamic law and civilization.

Source: Yale Law School

Program on Historical Studies of Religion

The Program on Historical Studies of Religion unites a number of outstanding scholars associated with Baylor University to pursue and promote historical research and writing on religion.

Global Studies of Religion

Just as the Program on Historical Studies pursues religion across time, this program pursues it across space.

Program on Religion and Population Health (PRPH)

The mission of the Baylor ISR Program on Religion and Population Health (PRPH) is to conduct and promote social, behavioral, and epidemiologic research on the impact of religious involvement on indicators of population health.

Program on Prosocial Behavior

The Program on Prosocial Behavior approaches the study of behavior from a different starting point. For decades a great deal of government funding has been dedicated to studying the causes of social problems like crime and delinquency. Much of this work has focused on why people commit deviant acts or the many factors that put people at-risk for the commission of illegal behavior.

Manuscript Research Collegium

The Baylor University Collegium for Manuscript Research is an association of Baylor scholars who do manuscript or papyrus research in Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, Latin and several medieval vernaculars. We have formed a collegium to facilitate the work of our members, which includes primary research on both documentary and literary papyri, the preparation of diplomatic editions with translation, critical editions and the study of reading practices.

Religious Freedom Project

The Religious Freedom Project (RFP) is the nation’s only university-based program devoted exclusively to the analysis of religious freedom, a basic human right restricted in many parts of the world. The RFP engages a team of international scholars to examine and debate the meaning and value of religious liberty; its importance for democracy; and its role in social and economic development, international diplomacy, and the struggle against violent religious extremism. The project is made possible by the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation and our partnership with Georgetown University’s Religious Freedom Project.

Publications

• A Baylor ISR Special Research Report
  Not by Faith or Government Alone: Rethinking the Role of Faith-Based Organizations
• ISR Reports
  View reports from the Institute for Studies of Religion.
• Recent Publications
  View recent publications by ISR staff and scholars.
• Case Studies
  View case studies from the Institute for Studies of Religion.
• Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion (IJRR)
  IJRR was founded to publish very high quality, original research on religion by scholars, regardless of their field of specialization. Unfortunate accidents of history separated the social sciences into an archipelago of fields and departments. Efforts to break through these artificial barriers by publishing interdisciplinary journals have been handicapped because these publications have conferred less prestige to authors than have the best journals focused on a single field. Consequently, some of the most important articles published by the specialty journals are difficult for nonspecialists even to be aware of, let alone appreciate fully, while interdisciplinary journals have lacked the space needed to include the additional explanations, definitions, and context to make many important articles fully accessible to nonspecialists.

ISR Staff & Affiliates

• Cameron Andrews
• Frances Malone
• Hays, William Joshua
• Jack Friedman
• Leone Moore
• Paul Gutacker

Contacts

• Address: Baylor University, One Bear Place #97236, Waco, TX 76798, US
• Phone: +1 254 710 3763
• Email: ISR@baylor.edu
• Website: http://www.baylorisr.org/

Since 1997, the IUR has been founded as a result of initiatives taken by Muslims living in the Netherlands. Since then, the IUR is established as a Dutch University and more importantly as an intellectual contribution of Muslims to the Dutch society.

There has been a general agreement among the founders, being responsible citizens, as regards to the IUR as a social necessity for Muslims and non-Muslims in the Dutch society. There are currently more than 900.000 Muslims living in the Netherlands. With a view to fulfil the social and religious needs of the Muslims, the University contributes with respect to imams and moral guides in the Dutch educational field.

Through academic education and research, the IUR aims to contribute to the concretization of the following anthological synthesis: “Live as a Muslim and as a responsible citizen of the Dutch society.”

For the University to embark on a journey of continuous learning and improvement and thus making a clear and a stimulating course of development. The University is expected to fulfil its vision, by offering quality academic and professional programs that ensures a commitment to and a mastery of lifelong learning skills as well as encouraging a spirit of critical enquiry.

The IUR is a learning organization of life long learners. It will be a center of educational excellence, which provides academic education (both Bachelor and Master training), disseminating knowledge to society, contributing to the improvement of human life.

Education

• Bachelor Islamic Theology NL

• Master Islamic Spiritual Care NL
The Master’s program starts every academic year in September. The master’s degree is awarded upon successful completion of both the course requirements and a Master’s thesis. The curriculum consists of core theory courses (70 EC), capita selecta (5 EC), practical trainings and supervision (20 EC), an applied research course (5 EC) and a research project of the Master’s thesis (20 EC). The requirements should take two years of full-time study. Students who have to complete a pre master preparatory program will need more time, which will depend on the extra requirements to be fulfilled.

• English Master Degree Islamic Spiritual Care (ENG)
The Master program Islamic Spiritual Cares is a pioneering program we offer in the Netherlands at the Islamic University of Rotterdam. Especially those who are engaged in Islamic Spiritual Care serving in the public or private sector, or those who want to deepen their training as well as their understanding of how to guide and professionally aid from the Islamic faith, those who are in need of assistance. Students learn to integrate the theory and practice of spirituality and professional guidance in ways that are meaningful to Muslim life. The program offers a thorough understanding of the consciousness reflected in outward life, where our curriculum supports this desired outcome.

IUR Press Publications

IUR Press has been founded to publish academic researches as books, journals and bulletins on Islam in contemporary context, with the aim of elaborating ethical and intellectual principles of Islam from authentic Islamic perspectives. IUR Press is a multidisciplinary institution which its staff uses a wide range of skills and knowledge of the economy, politics, history and culture of the Islamic world.

Contacts

• Address: Islamic University of Applied Sciences Rotterdam, Bergsingel 135, 3037 GC Rotterdam, The Netherlands
• Phone: +31 (10) 4854721 – +31 (10) 4843147
• Website: www.iur.nl

Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA

The Center for Global Islamic Studies (CGIS) at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania. Launched in the Fall of 2009 with the support of a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Center is a growing intellectual community committed to the comparative study of Islamic civilization. CGIS promotes interdisciplinary teaching and research designed to take Islamic Studies into and beyond the classroom by offering students, faculty and the broader community a variety of forums for dialogue, debate and experiential learning. At its core, the Center’s is distinguished by three distinct signatures:

1. an integrated undergraduate academic program that provides Lehigh students with multiple outlets to encounter the diversity and dynamism of global Islam

2. a comparative, interdisciplinary approach to Islamic studies that goes beyond narrow geographic areas and political issues to explore the broader landscape of Islamic civilization, both past and present

3. the translation of theory into practice, linking rigorous scholarship on the Muslim world to direct, practical, hands-on learning beyond the boundaries of the Lehigh campus

The opening of CGIS in the Fall of 2009 was the culmination of years of planning among Lehigh’s faculty and senior leadership, in conversation with the local Muslim community, students, and numerous colleagues at other national and international institutions. While Islamic studies programs exist on select college campuses across the United States, most are narrowly centered upon the Middle East—even though 85 percent of today’s 1.4 billion Muslims live outside the Middle East, most of them in Asia. Building on Lehigh’s existing culture and resources, the university has embraced an alternative, innovative approach. In order to spotlight Islam’s global, transnational and cross-cultural reach, CGIS aims to partner with a number of other interdisciplinary programs on campus. Cooperation with ongoing initiatives in Asian Studies, Africana Studies, American Studies, Jewish Studies, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Global Studies offers a wealth of expertise and resources that extends the Center’s activities across the campus and throughout the curriculum.

In today’s United States there is a pervasive climate of disinformation, ignorance and fear about Islam and Muslims. Through its academic programs, public outreach, teaching and research, the Center for Global Islamic Studies (CGIS) aims to help fill this glaring knowledge gap.

In the 21st century, knowledge about Islamic Civilization is an essential part of any liberal arts education. In its teaching, scholarship, and programming, CGIS is committed to the free and open exchange of ideas. As a scholarly community, CGIS rejects stereotyping and scapegoating, discrimination and demonizing, fear-mongering and religious discrimination. They denounce purity tests of any kind. CGIS stands against the divisive, destructive and dangerous forces of nativism, xenophobia, racism, misogyny, homophobia, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and immigrant bashing. And stands in solidarity with Lehigh students, staff and faculty of color, with immigrants, refugees, visiting scholars and international students, with those of all national, cultural and religious backgrounds.

Lehigh’s previous efforts to support Islamic studies have already produced significant results that illustrate the fertile ground upon which the Center can grow: a sustained interest in Arabic language instruction, strong enrollments for courses on Islam via the Religion Studies department, frequent requests for class visits in multiple departments and speaking engagements in various forums, a range of Islam-related campus events, off-campus lectures in the Lehigh Valley community, large turnouts for an annual Islam lecture series and “Middle East Week,” and an active and growing Muslim Student Association on campus.

Director

Dr. Robert Rozehnal is a Professor in the Department of Religion Studies and the founding director of the Center for Global Islamic Studies at Lehigh University. He holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from Duke University, and an M.A. in South Asian Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition to the history and practice of Sufism in South Asia, his research interests include ritual studies, postcolonial theory, religious nationalism, globalization, and digital religion. He is the author of numerous articles and three books: Cyber Sufis: Virtual Expressions of the American Muslim Experience (Oneworld, 2019); Piety, Politics and Everyday Ethics in Southeast Asian Islam: Beautiful Behavior, editor (Bloomsbury, 2019); and Islamic Sufism Unbound: Politics and Piety in Twenty-First Century Pakistan (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007). He previously served as the national co-chair of the Islamic Mysticism program unit at the American Academy of Religion.

Contacts

• Address: Lehigh University, 101 Williams Hall, 31 Williams Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
• Phone: +1 (610) 758 2131
• Email: ror2@lehigh.edu
• Website: https://cgis.cas.lehigh.edu/

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/