• CALENDAR
  • Course Schedule
  • Student Life
  • My Account
  • Web Mail
  • Events
  • Shop

SUBSCRIBE

logo
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Accreditation
    • History
    • Board of Trustees
    • Administration & College Staff
    • Employment
    • COVID – 19
  • Academics
    • Academic Calendar
    • Academic Affairs
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Graduate Programs
    • Arabic Language Institute
    • Course Schedule
    • Continuing Education & Professional Development Hub
    • Madrasa Pathways
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Populi
  • Admissions
    • Admission Requirements
    • Application Procedures
    • Financing Your Education
    • Student Application
    • Non-Degree Students
  • Student Life
    • Student Services
    • Events
    • Student Affairs
    • Campus Activities
    • Housing & Parking
    • Mosque
    • Campus Safety
    • City Life
  • Hassan Institute
  • Donate
    • Donate Stocks & Crypto
  • Apply

  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Accreditation
    • History
    • Board of Trustees
    • Administration & College Staff
    • Employment
    • COVID – 19
  • Academics
    • Academic Calendar
    • Academic Affairs
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Graduate Programs
    • Arabic Language Institute
    • Course Schedule
    • Continuing Education & Professional Development Hub
    • Madrasa Pathways
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Populi
  • Admissions
    • Admission Requirements
    • Application Procedures
    • Financing Your Education
    • Student Application
    • Non-Degree Students
  • Student Life
    • Student Services
    • Events
    • Student Affairs
    • Campus Activities
    • Housing & Parking
    • Mosque
    • Campus Safety
    • City Life
  • Hassan Institute
  • Donate
    • Donate Stocks & Crypto
  • Apply
logo
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Accreditation
    • History
    • Board of Trustees
    • Administration & College Staff
    • Employment
    • COVID – 19
  • Academics
    • Academic Calendar
    • Academic Affairs
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Graduate Programs
    • Arabic Language Institute
    • Course Schedule
    • Continuing Education & Professional Development Hub
    • Madrasa Pathways
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Populi
  • Admissions
    • Admission Requirements
    • Application Procedures
    • Financing Your Education
    • Student Application
    • Non-Degree Students
  • Student Life
    • Student Services
    • Events
    • Student Affairs
    • Campus Activities
    • Housing & Parking
    • Mosque
    • Campus Safety
    • City Life
  • Hassan Institute
  • Donate
    • Donate Stocks & Crypto
  • Apply

  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Accreditation
    • History
    • Board of Trustees
    • Administration & College Staff
    • Employment
    • COVID – 19
  • Academics
    • Academic Calendar
    • Academic Affairs
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Graduate Programs
    • Arabic Language Institute
    • Course Schedule
    • Continuing Education & Professional Development Hub
    • Madrasa Pathways
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Populi
  • Admissions
    • Admission Requirements
    • Application Procedures
    • Financing Your Education
    • Student Application
    • Non-Degree Students
  • Student Life
    • Student Services
    • Events
    • Student Affairs
    • Campus Activities
    • Housing & Parking
    • Mosque
    • Campus Safety
    • City Life
  • Hassan Institute
  • Donate
    • Donate Stocks & Crypto
  • Apply
by mesutFebruary 21, 2025 Events, Past Events0 comments

AIC Day 2025!

We cordially invite you to join AIC faculty, staff, students, trustees, and supporters for a pre-Ramadan dinner celebrating the College’s past and present milestones and sharing exciting new developments, Ramadan programming, upcoming courses and new programs, future plans, and ultimate aspirations.

We look forward to seeing you there, in sha’ allah!

Date: Friday, February 21, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM
RSVP: Required. Space is limited! Please RSVP by February 20, 12:00 PM

View Photo Album
Read More
    s
0
by mesutFebruary 7, 2025 Latest News0 comments

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Omer Awass

The expansive book by Dr. Omer Awass, Fatwa and the Making and Renewal of Islamic Law: From the Classical Period to the Present (2023), might be considered the culmination of a scholar’s lifelong research. For Dr. Awass, it’s just the start.

This winter break he spent in Dali, Yunnan province, China, where he immersed himself in Chinese language and culture. Over the last few years he has been studying Chinese with the aim of eventually being able to read Chinese historical texts. “After thoroughly exploring how Muslims have rationalized about the world,” he wonders, “How is it that other civilizations have reasoned? Long term, I would like to do a comparative view of the intellectual history of China.”

Dr. Omer Awass visits a historical Buddhist monastery, abbreviated as “San Ta” (in mandarin it means Three Towers), in Dali, Yunnan province, China, where he has been studying over the winter.

This Spring at American Islamic College, he is teaching Introduction to the Science of Hadith, Islamic History & Civilization 1800-Present, and a graduate course on Hadith Sciences. The history course parallels his forthcoming book, due out in 2026, Imposing Modernity in the Global South: Studies in the Coloniality and Decoloniality of Muslim Societies, a series of studies over the past two centuries concerning issues of coloniality and decoloniality. When talking about hadith sciences, he gets animated. “It’s really a uniquely developed way of doing historiography unlike other civilizations. The methodology is a distinct way of preserving history and historical reasoning. Here at AIC we get to teach our students these different ways of thinking. Hadith science wouldn’t be taught this way at other institutions,” he says. Beyond looking at it theoretically, he trains students to investigate hadith and practice the methodology. With so much focus on the breadth of history, when asked what he thinks about the future of Islamic law in light of the massive changes in technology and the impact of AI, he remarks, “Rationality is one of the characteristics that defines us as humans. How much of our own rationality are we going to surrender, instead of developing that which defines us? How can we purposefully use AI to enhance our humanity and not diminish it?”

Dr. Omer Awass at Lake Erhai in Dali, Yunnan Province, China, where he frequently went to study.

Walking helps clear his mind, and he is drawn to doing his research by the water – whether that’s Lake Michigan in Chicago or Lake Erhai in Dali, Yunnan Province, China.

Dr. Omer Awass is Associate Professor of Arabic & Islamic Studies and the Director of the MA program in Islamic Studies at American Islamic College.

By Stephanie Mirza, Staff Writer

Read More
    s
0
by mesutJanuary 28, 2025 Lectures, Past Events0 comments

Lecture: Spiritual Resilience Amid War and Collapse: Reflections on the Mystics of al-Andalus

Date: Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM Light Reception | 6:30 PM Talk – Central Time (Chicago)
Venue: American Islamic College, Limited parking available (613 W Bittersweet Pl)

Join us for a night of intellectual and spiritual stimulation with Dr. Yousef Casewit and enjoy some delectable Pakistani hors d’oeuvres.

Registration (Required):
Free, in-person & livestream. Please select in-person or livestream during registration.

In this talk, Dr. Yousef Casewit reflects on contemporary lessons drawn from the writings of the Contemplatives (Mu’tabirun), a remarkable school of Islamic mysticism that emerged in 12th-century al-Andalus in a world beset by war, social inequalities, economic instability, and political turmoil. The ethos of spiritual resilience cultivated by the Contemplatives offers a profound resource for Muslims in the US grappling with the emotional toll and moral injuries of witnessing war crimes from afar while striving to effect meaningful change at home. Their integration of scriptural, intellectual, and spiritual traditions forged a holistic response to societal crises, demonstrating how spiritual practices, ethical leadership, engaged scholarship, justice-oriented spirituality, and community solidarity can counter despair and inspire transformative action.

Feature your restaurant at our events! If you are interested in sponsoring one of our events, please contact programs@aicusa.edu

Register
casewit

Speaker: Yousef Casewit

Associate Professor of Qur’anic Studies; University of Chicago, Divinity School

Professor Casewit is a Qur’anic studies scholar. His research interests include intellectual history of North Africa and al-Andalus, Muslim perceptions of the Bible, and medieval commentaries on the ninety nine divine names.

He has several publications, most recently The Mystics of al-Andalus: Ibn Barrajān and Islamic Thought in the Twelfth Century (Cambridge University Press, 2017), a study on Ibn Barrajan’s life and teachings. He is also the author of a critical edition of a Qur’an commentary by Ibn Barrajan (Brill, TSQ Series, 2016).

Prior to joining the Divinity School, Professor Casewit was a Humanities Research Fellow at New York University Abu Dhabi, and an Assistant Professor of Arabic Intellectual Heritage and Culture at the American University of Sharjah. He completed his M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Islamic Studies at Yale University’s Religious Studies Department.

Current projects include a translation and critical edition of a Sufi-Philosophical commentary on the divine names by the Algerian scholar ‘Afif al-Din al-Tilimsani (d. 1291) for the Library of Arabic Literature, NYU Press.

Born in Egypt and raised in Morocco, he is fluent in Arabic, French and Spanish. Yousef has traveled throughout the Islamic world, and has studied with Muslim scholars in Morocco, Syria, and Mauritania.

Read More
    s
0
by mesutJanuary 20, 2025 Latest News0 comments

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Shabana Mir

Dr. Shabana Mir’s fall courses on Islam & Gender, Cultural Anthropology, and Research Methods all relate to her extensive travels. Over the winter break, for example, she traveled to Pakistan, where she spoke at Lahore College for Women University on “The Religious Politics of Domination and Control in Marriage: Qualitative and Textual Analysis.” Reflecting now on the subsequent audience discussion she remarks, “Things are changing. Women (in Pakistan) are essential members of the economy and are in touch with the global discourse.” Women’s disempowerment is still a cultural issue, but she finds hope in the younger generation of men, such as those who choose to shut down jokes about polygamy.

Dr. Shabana Mir at Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, December 2024.

Her spring courses at AIC couldn’t be more timely in the light of current events in the United States. They include, Introduction to Political Science, Islam in America, and, at the graduate level, Special Topics: Islam in World Cinema. The film course focuses on the representation of Islam and Muslims in popular media. While we are well aware of overt Islamophobic patterns in Hollywood, Dr. Mir points out that seemingly benign Islamophilic films can be subversive as well. She gives the example of Victoria and Abdul (2017), the British biographical historical film in which Abdul, a Muslim from India, piques Queen Victoria’s interest. As Dr. Mir points out, however fondly the Queen regards Abdul, his place is always that of a servant. In addition to the lineup of movies on the Muslim experience she selects for the class, Dr. Mir solicits suggestions from the students at the beginning of the term for possible inclusion in the syllabus. When it comes to teaching political science and Islam in America, she goes beyond the textbook approach to bring in critical readings to understand not just the theory, but the reality on the ground. She invites leaders of non-profit organizations , such as Muslims for Just Futures and CAIR, to talk to the class about their grassroots work to combat Islamophobia.

One of the first things you learn about Dr. Shabana Mir is her care and concern for students. Her keen observation picks up when a student is struggling, or when they’re having that lightbulb moment. When asked what activity makes her lose track of time, she replies instantly, “Gardening. I can work 10 hours in the garden and still feel energized.” She loves the coneflowers and cupped roses, yet when she describes them you get the sense she could be talking about her students. “When you’re a gardener, you notice, ‘that plant has a new leaf today’ – it’s so exciting.”

Dr Shabana Mir in her happy place, the garden.

Read More
    s
0
  • 1
  • 2

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram

Subscribe to our Newsletter

American Islamic College

Location:
640 W Irving Park Rd,
Chicago, IL 60613
Office Hours:
9:00am – 5:00pm
Telephone:
773.281.4700
Email:
info@aicusa.edu
Complaints:
IBHE

 

Academics

  • Academic Calendar
  • Academic Affairs
  • Undergraduate Programs
  • Graduate Programs
  • Arabic Language Institute
  • Course Schedule
  • Continuing Education & Professional Development Hub
  • Madrasa Pathways
  • Faculty
  • Library
  • Information Sessions

Admissions

  • Admission Requirements
  • Application Procedures
  • Financing Your Education
  • Non-Degree Students
  • Information Sessions
  • Visit a Class

Student Life

  • Student Life
  • Events
  • Housing & Parking
  • Mosque
  • Campus Safety
  • City Life

© 2024 American Islamic College | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy