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/

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/

Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations program, housed within the School of Divinity at The University of Edinburgh draws on the strengths of one of the most distinguished centers of religious and theological studies in the UK. It offers a deep and broad study of the rich intellectual traditions of Islamic law, theology and philosophy in conversation with Christian thought, ethics and political theology.

The dialogical framework of the course allows you to study multiple disciplines in both Islamic and Christian thought and practice, not as mere historical artifacts, but as resources that transform the academic study of religion and engage public debates on the place of Islam, Christianity, and religion in society.

The program’s core courses will enable students to receive a strong grounding in the major themes and methodologies in Islam and in the academic study of Christian-Muslim relations.

Students will gain a deep appreciation of the philosophical, theological and ethical debates between Christians and Muslims in different times and places.

The program offers opportunities for study and collaboration with world renowned academics, with a view to tailoring a personalized path to doctoral study or to other relevant careers.

Compulsory courses

– The Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations

– Approaches to Research in Divinity and Religious Studies

– Approaches to Research: Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations

Optional Courses

– God of the Oppressed: Liberation Theologies in Christianity and Islam

– Islamic Law: From Prayer to Politics

– Islamic Theology: Classical and Contemporary Perspectives

– Pioneers of Political Islam

– Christian-Muslim Relations: Diatribe, Discourse and Dialogue

– Muslim and Christian Perspectives on Jesus

Learning outcomes

– expertise in the major themes and debates in the academic study of Islam

– specialized knowledge and expertise in several major aspects of both Islam and Christian-Muslim relations

– a facility with select major thinkers in the history of Islamic thought and/or Christian-Muslim relations

– an appreciation of how various social, historical, cultural, and political contexts shape and inform the relationship between Christians and Muslims

– a clear understanding of how Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim relations relate to and engage other academic disciplines, especially religious studies, theology, philosophy, law, and politics

– the ability to analyze the relationship between contemporary and modern Christian-Muslim encounters and the history of Christian-Muslim dialogue, diatribe, and debate

Website: https://www.ed.ac.uk/

Islamic Educational Center of Orange County (IECOC) is a Shi’a non-profit organization based in Orange County, California, serving all the communities of Orange and Los Angeles Counties since 1996. It provides religious and educational services to Shi’a Muslims in the area.

The IECOC Youth organization is composed and run by Muslim youths, who manage and shape each session according to the issues that interest them.

The creed of this organization will be: There is no god, but God, and Mohammad (PBUH) is His rightful messenger. The purpose of this Youth Group is to serve the best interests of Islam and the Muslims of Southern California. Towards this end, members of the Youth Group shall aspire to:

– Lead a life according to the principles of Islam as provided for by (a) Allah (SWT) in the holy Quran; (b) His messenger, Prophet Muhammad (SAWS); and (c) the Ahlul Bayt (AS).

– Help young Muslims conduct themselves in accordance with Islamic principles.

– Create a support system for Muslim youth in Southern California.

– Prepare the youth to be the future leaders of the community and maintain Islamic heritage for future generations.

– Promote unity and joint action among Muslims.

– Encourage and provide Islamic education to the members of Youth Group

– Promote charitable activities within the greater community of California.

– Promote cooperation and good relations with both Muslims and non-Muslims, and their respective organizations.

– Create a professional network for youth who hope to be future professionals.

– Encourage organized civic engagement.

– Provide services for community members that increase access to (a) jobs; (b) career opportunities; and (c) career advice.

Founder and Director

Dr. Sayed Moustafa al-Qazwini is the Founding Imam of the Islamic Educational Center of Orange County and Founding President of the Shia Muslim Council of Southern California. He is a graduate of the Islamic seminary of Qum, holds a PhD in Islamic Studies from UK and is the author of a number of books.

In September 1996, he founded the Islamic Educational Center of Orange County (IECOC). Drawing on his experience in Islamic studies, he has maturated the center for educational, religious and social events. As the founder and imam of IECOC, he serves as a mentor for the Muslim community.

Contacts

• Address: 3194-B Airport Loop Dr, Costa Mesa. CA 92626, USA
• Phone: +1(714) 432 0060
• Email: info@iecoc.org
• Website: https://iecoc.org/

Bellfield College is an Islamic independent co-educational school, educating young Australians in a nurturing and affirming community. The College promotes the pursuit of academic excellence and social responsibility.

Bellfield College was established in 2008 in Sydney, Australia. It provides opportunities for enlightenment and aspires to develop people of faith with high moral standards and integrity. Its aim is to provide quality education enriched with Islamic principles for students from Kindergarten to Year 12.

Their mission is to build harmony between the two major learning environments of home and school whereby parents and teachers grow in the character qualities they wish the students to acquire. Leadership, family education and community service programs in the school complement the focus on character education.

They are accredited by the NSW Education Standard Authority.

Their extracurricular activities include Mentoring for Camp Retreats, Public Speaking Competition, Ramadan Charity Food Drive, Robotic Club, After school Quran club-Arbaeen Podcast Competition and Students Project-based Design of the School’s Natural Environment in Light of Ethos Values.

Contacts

• Address: 29/31 Rossmore Ave W, Rossmore NSW 2557, Australia
• Phone: +61 2 9606 2666
• Email: admin@bellfield.nsw.edu.au
• Website: http://www.bellfield.nsw.edu.au/

Annual Conferences

The annual Islamic Philosophy Conference was initiated at Harvard University (April, 2019) with participants coming from around the globe to present papers and engage in discussion over two days. The conferences are open to all interested scholars working on Islamic Philosophy and Theology. In addition to a general call for papers, conferences will include specialized panels organized by theme over the next three years (2020–22)

Journal of Islamic Philosophy

This unique journal is created specifically for the academic study of Islamic philosophy. The journal provides a peer-reviewed forum for scholars interested in the philosophical study of diverse topics in Islamic philosophy. Classical Islamic philosophy of past masters will be re-examined with a new focus. The underlying issues regarding the many ethical, metaphysical, existential, and epistemological challenges posed by western philosophy will be explored in comparison to Islamic philosophy. We hope to serve as an impetus toward the renewal of the rich and dynamic spirit of Islamic philosophical discourse in the current era.

In addition to The Journal of Islamic Philosophy’s print and digital journal, ASIPT’s Online Journal publishes scholarly and peer-reviewed studies whose appeal may extend beyond the academy. We welcome article-length submissions that actively address theological and philosophical problems via the Islamic intellectual tradition.

Website: https://asipt.org/

Several AMI students were also involved in the conference, both as presenters and as chairs of the seven panels which made up the two days. As all those presenting are at the beginning of their research careers, a key feature of the conference which was incorporated into the two days was the opportunity for students to gain feedback on their presentations and research from AMI’s faculty, experts in a range of areas within Islamic studies with decades of experience in the field. The feedback received from the attendees was extremely positive and as a result of this, plans are in place for this conference to be an annual event with the hope that it will provide a platform for students to gain experience presenting in an academic environment and to network with like-minded peers.

Source: Al-Mahdi Institute

The SSME shall be a nonprofit, nonpolitical, and nonsectarian charitable and educational organization incorporated as such under the laws of the State of Minnesota and federal tax authorities of the United States of America (EIN: 61-1601271).

The Society for the Study of Muslim Ethics (SSME) is a scholarly association dedicated to advancing intellectual inquiry in Muslim ethics, including the relation of Muslim ethics to other ethical traditions and to social, political, and economic problems. The Society supports academic work in both philosophical and applied ethics, historical as well as contemporary issues. The Society also aims to promote the teaching of Muslim ethics in colleges, universities, and theological schools, to improve understanding of Muslim ethics in the broader society through publications and other educational activities, and to provide a community of discourse and debate for those engaged professionally in the study of Muslim ethics.

The SSME was formally incorporated in August 2009. It emerged from the Working Group on Muslim Ethics that was created in 2003 by members of the Society of Christian Ethics, led by Professor John Kelsay of Florida State University. This working group met annually at the conference of the Society of Christian Ethics and the Society of Jewish Ethics until the decision was made in 2008 to expand the group into a separate organization partnered with the other two societies.

Membership in the Society is open to persons in the following groups: (1) college, university, or seminary teachers of Muslim ethics; (2) persons teaching in similar institutions in other fields who are concerned with the relation of Islamic ethics to their subject matter; (3) persons whose full-time professional work in religious, government, social institutions or elsewhere is related to the purposes of the Society. Candidates for membership must have at least one of the following: a Ph.D. or equivalent degree, scholarly publications in religious ethics, or a full-time teaching position in ethics or related fields in an accredited institution of higher learning. Doctoral students in ethics or related fields may become members of the Society upon matriculation into a doctoral program. The core membership will be drawn from North America and Europe, but the Society encourages scholars from around the world to join.

Contacts

• Phone: +1 413 5382381
• Email: info@ssmethics.org
• Website: https://www.ssmethics.org/