Date: Thursday, May 8, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM Light Reception | 7:00 PM Talk
Library, American Islamic College

Omer Awass is an associate professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the American Islamic College in Chicago, IL. His current research interests center on religion, modernity, and globalization. He has been carrying out field research on contemporary fatwas across the Muslim world to assess how they are negotiating their postcolonial realities. His book Fatwa and the Making and Renewal of Islamic Law is published by Cambridge University Press (2023). Read More >

Kholoud al-Ajarma is Alwaleed Lecturer in the Globalised Muslim World and Deputy Director of the Alwaleed Centre, University of Edinburgh.

Kholoud holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology and Comparative Study of Religion from the University of Groningen (Netherlands). Her PhD thesis focused on the socio-cultural embeddedness of Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) in Moroccan everyday life. During her Ph.D. studies, she worked as a lecturer at the University of Groningen and delivered several courses including ‘Anthropology of Muslim Societies’, ‘Islam: History, Sources, and Practices’, and ‘Minorities in Contemporary Europe’. Her current research focuses on water resource management and contemporary environmental concerns in the Muslim World.

Kholoud received her MA in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution from Coventry University (UK) and her Mphil in Anthropology and Development from the University of Bergen (Norway). In addition to her academic experience in anthropology and religion, Kholoud has worked in the fields of refugee studies, gender, youth development, migration, human rights, and environmental justice in several countries of the Mediterranean region including Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, and Morocco. She was a Chevening visiting fellow at Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS) and peace fellow of the MENA cohort fellowship programme of the United Nations Allience of Civilizations (UNAOC).

Kholoud is also an award-winning photographer and film-maker who has extensive experience developing and leading programs and projects among refugee communities, including innovative platforms for human rights research and media production among young refugee youth. Full bio.

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

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.

Indonesia, with a population of approximately 280 million people, is the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, comprising around 11-12% of the global Muslim population. It is also the largest democracy among Muslim nations, known for its stability and peaceful coexistence. Indonesia is a nation of remarkable diversity, with hundreds of languages, ethnic groups, and beliefs coexisting across its vast archipelago.

Despite this diversity, Indonesia has managed to create a harmonious society, emphasizing moderation, tolerance, and respect for diversity. Central to this model are pesantren, Islamic boarding schools that serve as both centers of religious learning and community development. These institutions teach not only classical Islamic texts but also contemporary knowledge, equipping students to address modern societal challenges while maintaining their faith. Furthermore, pesantren play a key role in promoting peace by facilitating interfaith dialogue, mediating conflicts, and contributing to social cohesion.

Through this distinctive approach, Indonesia demonstrates how Islam can adapt to a diverse cultural landscape, fostering peace and inclusivity while staying true to its core principles. Pesantren, as both educational institutions and community centers, continue to play a vital role in nurturing interfaith harmony and promoting a peaceful society in Indonesia, which is recognized as one of the most peaceful and stable Muslim-majority democracies in the world.

Date: Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Time: 6:00 PM Light Reception | 6:30 PM Talk – Central Time (Chicago)
Venue: American Islamic College, Livestream available – must register for link

Registration:
Free, registration required.

Date: Thursday, September 26, 2024
Time: 6:30 PM
Venue: In-Person, American Islamic College

Registration:
Free, registration required.

Our society is increasingly composed of multiple subcultures—ethnic, religious and political. How do these subcultural communities reproduce themselves across generations? Why are some more successful at this than others? Professor Abdelhadi’s current book project answers these questions using the case of second-generation immigrant Muslim Americans. I trace individuals’ relationships with Muslim communities across the life course, showing the ways in which attachment is gendered at individual, household and institutional levels.

My research speaks to my broader interest in how religion influences everyday life, including political and economic outcomes. I have investigated this question from multiple angles using mixed methods. One set of projects examines when, where and how religion matters for women’s participation in the public sphere through paid employment. Another set focuses on the relationship between religious orthodoxy and political conservatism in the United States. My research has been published in Social Forces, Socius, and other social science publications.

Shabana Mir is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of Undergraduate Studies. She teaches Islamic Studies, Gender Studies, Research Methods, Anthropology, Social Sciences, and Muslim American and Muslim World Literature. She is the author of the award-winning book Muslim American Women on Campus: Undergraduate Social Life and Identity, published by the University of North Carolina Press (2014). The book has received the Outstanding Book Award from the National Association for Ethnic Studies and the Critics’ Choice Award from the American Educational Studies Association (2014). Shabana taught at Millikin University, University of Southern California online, Oklahoma State University, Indiana University, Eastern Illinois University, and the International Islamic University (Islamabad). She received the Outstanding Dissertation Award for her doctoral dissertation from the American Anthropological Association’s Council on Anthropology and Education (2006). She conducted ethnographic fieldwork in the Washington, DC area, as Visiting Researcher at the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University. She also has an M.A. in English Literature from Punjab University, Pakistan and an M.Phil. in Education from Cambridge University (U.K.). Dr. Mir has lived, studied, and taught in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Pakistan. She has worked as a curriculum designer, residence hall director, retreat leader, faculty development expert, and research consultant in a variety of settings. Shabana has written academic chapters, journal articles, children’s literature, a blog, and, of course, her book. She is an international public speaker on gender, religion, education, and politics. She speaks English, Urdu and Punjabi, and some Arabic and Farsi.

Date: Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Time: 6:30 PM
Venue: In-Person & Livestreamed

Registration:
Free, registration required.

Ibrahim N. Abusharif, PhD, is an associate professor in residence in the Journalism and Strategic Communication Program. His fields of research include narrative journalism, religious studies, and the decolonization of storytelling. Specifically, his academic interests include the study of the intersections of religion and media, particularly digital media disruptions and their effects on contemporary religious authority. He also researches the origins, promulgation, and effects of key journalistic framing terminologies used in prominent Western news sources in their coverage and reportage of the Middle East and Muslim minorities in the West.

Born and raised in Chicago, he studied the biological sciences as an undergraduate, and later he received his master’s from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and his doctorate in religious and Islamic studies from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

Join Rebekah Coffman for a presentation on the Chicago Sacred initiative at the Chicago History Museum. This discussion will explore how religion is central to the unique urban history of Chicago, share CHM’s approach to religious histories, and describe methods for partnering in telling accurate and authentic religious and community stories through collections, exhibitions, digital initiatives, and programs.

Date: Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Time: 6:30 PM
Venue: Virtual on Zoom

Registration:
Free, registration required.

Rebekah Coffman is a historian, preservationist, and curator currently serving as curator of religion and community history at the Chicago History Museum where she leads the Chicago Sacred initiative. Her interdisciplinary work is at the intersection of religious identity and the built environment and explores themes of tangible and intangible heritages in material and visual culture through place-based, community-centered approaches.

Prophet Mohammad (peace and prayers be upon him) is the best educator who has ever been known. His compassion-based approach turned every interaction with his companions into an effective learning experience. In this session, you will learn several Prophetic methods and strategies to help you be effective in your interactions, grab the learners’ attention, and open their appetite for everlasting learning. Every parent and educator needs need these tools.

Date: TBA
Time: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Hosted on Zoom, virtual event

Registration:
Free, registration required.

Talaat Pasha is the director of the Arabic Language Institute at the American Islamic College in Chicago. He holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from University of Utah. He is an education consultant of curriculum and instruction. Dr. Pasha is also a certified coach and trainer in Personality Types, in Mental Fitness (PQ), in Adventures in Wisdom (to coach kids and teens) and an instructor of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). He is the founder of PASHA ACADAMY Consulting and Training, to offer life and executive coaching services and facilitate workshops for personal and professional growth.

Fashion is an opportunity for visual expressions of creativity and caring. We should not limit ourselves to stereotypes that Islamic dress is oppressive or ‘political.’ In this lecture, I will share what I have learned from twenty years of scholarship on fashion history and how fashion can be understood within the practice of Islam.

Date: Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Time: 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm CT including Q & A
Platform: Virtual on Zoom
Register in Advance: Click here

Dr. Heather Akou is an Associate Professor of Fashion Design in the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design at Indiana University. Her varied research interests include African dress and fashion, contemporary Islamic fashion, working-class histories of dress in the United States, uniforms, lawmaking about dress and the body, and the politics of museum collections. Her latest book, On the Job: A History of American Work Uniforms, was just published by Bloomsbury Academic.

Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2024
Time: 6:00 PM CT
Platform: Virtual on Zoom
Register in Advance: Click here

Ahmed Rehab is Executive Director of the Chicago Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations as well as CAIR’s National Strategic Communications Director. CAIR is the nation’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group.

A prolific writer and lecturer on contemporary social issues including civil rights, media relations, and Islam-West relations, Rehab lectures at various University campuses in Chicago and around the nation. Read more here.

Date: Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Time: 6:30 PM
Venue: American Islamic College Library
Free & Open to the Public; Registration Required

Register here, or use widget below

ESSENTIAL WRITINGS – ISMAIL AL FARUQI
Selected and edited by Imtiyaz Yusuf
Foreword by Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim
Reviewed by John L. Esposito

https://www.contemporaryislam.org/alfaruqibook.html

Dr. Imtiyaz Yusuf is currently non-Resident Research Fellow at the Center for Contemporary Islamic World (CICW), Shenandoah University, Leesburg, USA.

Formerly, he was an Associate Professor and the Coordinator for the Islamization of Knowledge Program and also the Islam and Buddhism Program at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC-IIUM) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Dr. Yusuf specializes in the study of Religion with a focus on Muslim-Buddhist relations and dialogue, Islam in Thailand and Southeast Asia.

Dr. Yusuf ‘s recent publications are: Imtiyaz Yusuf and Pham Thuy Quynh, “Bridging Tradition and Modernity in Thai Islam: The Political And Religious Roles Of Surin Pitsuwan (Abdul Halim)” Al-Shajarah: Journal of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC) 28 (2023) 1:119-42; “Nūr Muḥammadī, Muhammadan Light, and Amitābha/Amida Buddha, the Buddha of Infinite Light – A Muslim’s Comparative Theological Perspective” Buddhist-Christian Studies, vol. 42, October 2022, p. 347-358(Scopus and Web of Science (WOS) Indexed); “Muslims as Thailand’s Largest Religious Minority” in Routledge Handbook of Islam in Southeast Asia edited by Syed Muhammad Khairudin Aljunied (London: Routledge, 2022) pp. 234-249; “Building Muslim-Buddhist Understanding: The Parallels of Taqwa/Allah Consciousness in the Qur’an and Satipatthana/Mindfulness in Anapanasati Sutta” in Overcoming Orientalism – Essays in Honor of John L. Esposito edited by Tamara Sonn (New York: Oxford University Press, 2021) pp. 173-190; “Islamic Theology of Religious Pluralism: Building Islam-Buddhism Understanding” in Pluralism in Islamic Contexts – Ethics, Politics and Modern Challenges edited by Mohammed Hashas, (Springer Nature Switzerland AG, 2021) pp. 201-219; Essential Writings Ismail Al Faruqi (Kuala Lumpur: Center for Islam in the Contemporary World at Shenandoah University, USA and Islamic Book Trust, Malaysia, 2021); “A Muslim’s Reflections on Saddharamapundariksutra—The Lotus Sutra” in Buddhist-Christian Studies 40 (2020) pp. 79 –104 (Scopus and Web of Science (WOS) Indexed).