Dear Friends,
As-salaamu alaikum, greeting of peace.
I am delighted to share with you that we have 6 graduates in the Class of 2020 who have completed their MA or PhD in Islamic Studies:
- Saad Akbar (MA), thesis title: Ideas Have Consequences: The Difference of Adler's Ideas and the Difference It Makes to Muslim Ideals
- Warren Gilchrist (Siddique Abdullah) (MA), thesis title: Forgotten Roots: The Early History of Islam in America, Debunking the Myth of the Foreign Religion
- Brian Johnson (MA), thesis title: Rumi as Philosopher: Love, Pain and Virtue in the Masnavi
- Huzaifa Shahbaz (MA), thesis title: Islamophobia, White Supremacy, and the Far-Right
- Kamal Akram Abu-Shamsieh (PhD), dissertation title: End-of-Life Care and Islamic Practical Theology — A Case Study: The Dying Experience of Prophet Muhammad
- Hamza Yusuf Hanson (PhD), dissertation title: The Normative Islamic Tradition in North and West Africa: A Case Study of Transmission of Authority and Distillation of Knowledge in Ibn ‘Ashir’s Al-Murshid al-mu’in (The Helpful Guide)
Congratulations to all the graduates on their extraordinary achievements! We commend them for their commitment to scholarly excellence, for their important leadership roles in bridging academia with the larger public, and for the wonderful and diverse ways they are advancing the work of the Center for Islamic Studies at the GTU. We congratulate and thank their families, friends, faculty committee members and mentors, and the GTU staff, for their care and support.
Since its founding in 2007, the Center for Islamic Studies has sought to deepen understanding of the Islamic tradition within the diverse, interreligious context of the GTU. Our PhD, MA, and certificate students and graduates, along with CIS faculty and visiting scholars, are globally diverse; they come from 18 different countries and speak, read or write in 35 languages!
In these challenging and uncertain times, many of our students, graduates, faculty, scholars and staff have been on the front lines of navigating the global pandemic and caring for the vulnerable and those in need. They selflessly serve others and address inequalities, inequities and injustices with patience, empathy, love, generosity, compassion and kindness. We are so grateful to all of them.
My prayers for everyone’s good health, well-being, safety and unity. May our remarkable interconnectedness be a source of comfort and hope.
With deep gratitude for your care and support, peace and blessings,
Munir Jiwa
Founding Director
Center for Islamic Studies
Graduate Theological Union