This debt to Islamic civilization contradicts the claim put forward by political scientist Samuel Huntington in his book The Clash of Civilizations some 25 years ago, that Islam and the West have always been diametrically opposed. In 2004, historian Richard Bulliet proposed an alternative perspective. He argued civilization is a continuing conversation and exchange, rather than a uniquely Western phenomenon.

Even so, Australia and the West still struggle to acknowledge the contributions of Islamic cultures (whether Arabic speaking, Persian, Ottoman or others) to civilization.

In an initial curriculum proposed by the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilization, only one Islamic text was listed, a collection of often-humorous stories about the Crusades from a 12th-century Syrian aristocrat. But Islamic majority cultures have produced many other texts with a greater claim to shaping civilization. Many of the scientific ideas and luxury goods from this world came into the West following the peaceful capture of the Spanish city of Toledo from its Moorish rulers in 1085.

Over the course of the next century, scholars, often in collaboration with Arabic-speaking Jews, became aware of the intellectual legacy of Islamic culture preserved in the libraries of Toledo.

Another was Ibn Rushd (or Averroes), an Andalusian physician and polymath, whose criticisms of the way Ibn Sina interpreted Aristotle would have a major impact on Italian theologist and philosopher Thomas Aquinas in shaping both his philosophical and theological ideas in the 13th century. Thomas was also indebted to a compatriot of Ibn Rushd, the Jewish thinker Moses Maimonides, whose Guide to the Perplexed was translated from Arabic into Latin in the 1230s…

Source: The Conversation Media

The Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies is the central forum for the study of Islam and Muslim societies at Stanford University. We support research on Islam and Muslim societies across the globe, coordinate coursework across disciplines, and aim to deepen public understanding of Islam through events, digital media initiatives, and K-12 outreach.

Mission

We have three goals that focus on research, teaching, and public outreach:

• We support interdisciplinary research and scholarship on Islamic cultures and societies across the globe.  Working within and across academic disciplines and world regions, our affiliates explore the religion of Islam in all its internal complexity and in diverse social and cultural contexts.  We host lectures and conferences that advance scholarship in the field and support undergraduate and graduate student research.
• We coordinate and promote interdisciplinary coursework in the field of Islamic Studies. To enrich Stanford students’ exposure to the study of Islam at all levels, we support the academic pursuits of undergraduates and graduates and administer student grants for fieldwork, advanced language training and internships. For undergraduates seeking a Minor in Global Studies, we coordinate the specialization in Islamic Studies.
• We actively engage multiple audiences with the goal of deepening public understanding of Islam and Muslim societies.  Through our support for public lectures, artistic performances, exhibitions, and our online resources for K-12 teachers and students, we serve as a resource for the public and educators alike.

Supporting Research and Teaching in Islamic Studies at Stanford

Working within and across academic disciplines and world regions, our faculty explore the religion of Islam in all its internal complexity and in diverse social and cultural contexts.  To enrich Stanford students’ exposure to the study of Islam at all levels, we promote coursework, administer grants, and coordinate an undergraduate specialization as part of Global Studies minor.

We support Stanford students’ research, language training and internships pertaining to the study of Islam and Muslim societies. Latest grant reports are featured below. Please browse our field notes archive for other reports. To apply, please see undergraduate and graduate student grants.

Institutional Partners

As an institutional member of the following professional organizations, we encourage our faculty and students to take advantage of unique membership privileges.

• American Association of Teachers of Turkic Languages (AATT)
• American Institute of Afghan Studies (AIAS)
• American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT)
• Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA )
• The Middle East Studies Association (MESA)
• The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TAARI)
• Association of Analytic Learning for Islam and Muslim Societies (AALIMS)

Stanford Partners and Resources

We are delighted to work with the following academic units, university offices, libraries and student groups in enhancing Islamic Studies at Stanford.

Departments

• Religious Studies Department
• History Department
• Comparative Literature
• Art and Art History
• Political Science
• Anthropology
• Stanford Language Center

Centers, Pograms, Institutes

• Stanford Global Studies
• Stanford Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies
• Mediterranean Studies Forum
• Iranian Studies
• Center for South Asia
• Center for African Studies
• Global Internships Program
• Arab Reform and Democracy
• The Europe Center
• Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity
• Clayman Institute for Gender Research
• Stanford Humanities Center
• Stanford Arts Institute
• Bing Overseas Studies Program

Stanford Libraries and Archives

• Cecile H. Green Library – Islamic and Middle Eastern Collection
• Hoover Archives and Library Collections
• Lane Medical Library – Islamic Manuscripts 

Undergraduate Student Grants

2016-17 The Abbasi Program Undergraduate Student Grants for the Study of Islam and Muslim Societies
Application cycle will start on January 1, 2017. Application deadline is Wednesday, March 23, 2017.

We invite proposals from continuing undergraduate and co-term students for projects pertaining to the study of Islam and Muslim societies. Projects may focus on any historical period and on Muslim-majority or Muslim–minority contexts.  Projects may be pursued during the 2016 Summer Quarter or the 2016-17 academic year.  Awards will be up to $4,000 and made on a competitive basis. Applicants are encouraged to apply for matching funds from other Stanford units or external agencies.

The following types of projects are supported:

1. Intensive language study

The proposed course of language study must be integral to the applicant’s academic or professional development. Priority will be given to training in languages not offered on campus or for advanced training in languages where the student has exhausted campus resources.

2. Fieldwork or Advanced Research Projects

Priority will be given to projects that may lead to a senior or honors thesis.

3. Community or Public Service Internships in the U.S. and Abroad

Funds may be used to fully or partially defray the costs of a relevant internship opportunity in a local, national, or international organization.

4. Study Abroad Programs 

Funds may be used to fully or partially defray the costs of attending an overseas study program with an academic focus on Islam and Muslim societies.

The grant projects can be conducted in the United States or in a country not included on the U.S. State Department’s Travel Warning list.

Leadership

• Director: Shahzad Bashir

Email: sbashir@stanford.edu

• Associate Director: Burçak Keskin-Kozat

Office: Encina Hall West, Room 212

Phone: (650) 736-8169

Email: burcak@stanford.edu

Contacts

• Address: Stanford University, Stanford Global Studies Division, 417 Galvez Mall/Encina Hall West, Rm. 212 Stanford, CA 94305, USA
• Phone: +1 650 736 8169
• Fax: +1 650 723 3010
• Email: abbasiprogram@stanford.edu
• Website: https://islamicstudies.stanford.edu/