|
Catholic Theological Union To Hold Catholic-Muslim Studies Conference
CHICAGO May 15 (IslamOnline) - In a two-day event, Muslim and Catholic scholars, journalists, and religious activists will discuss the direction of the Muslim-Catholic dialogue in the 21st century as the Catholic-Muslim Studies Program of Chicago's Catholic Theological Union (CTU) holds its first annual conference discussing interfaith dialogue.
"That You May Know One Another," a Qur'anic verse (49:13), is the title of the conference and its inspiring theme, said Scott Alexander, associate Professor of Islam at CTU in Chicago, and Director of the Program in Catholic-Muslim Studies at the seminary's Bernardin Center for Theology and Ministry.
The event, to be held Tuesday, will start with a Qur'anic recitation of that Ayah followed by a keynote address by John Voll, Professor of Islamic History and associate director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
Renowned Muslim scholars such as Sulayman Nyang, professor of African and Islamic Studies at Howard University, Washington D.C., Ghulam Haidar-Aasi, Chair of Islamic Studies at the American Islamic College of Chicago and Amina McCloud, Associate professor of Islamic Studies at DePaul University, Chicago, are among the distinguished speakers.
In a session dedicated to education, media and activism, in respect to interfaith dialogue, IslamOnline Chicago correspondent Dina Rashed will be addressing the role of the Internet in bringing the Islamic umma together, and the prospects and challenges of Islamic online journalism.
The conference also features prominent members of the Catholic faith including John Borelli, associate director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops; Rita George, associate director of the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, the Archdiocese of Chicago; and Marcia Hermansen, professor of theology and Islamic Studies at Loyola University, Chicago.
For 33 years, the CTU, the largest Catholic graduate theological school in the U.S., has been teaching and preparing its students of various backgrounds to better serve the Christian faith and Church inside the U.S. and worldwide.
Last September, a new program was launched devoted to Islamic studies. Its main purpose is to equip students and future civic leaders with sound knowledge concerning Islam and its civilization, knowledge the Church felt was essential, especially for those serving in Muslim societies.
The program's focus is not missionary, but rather to train those in contact with Muslims towords a better and mutual understanding of Islamic values and beliefs, thus promoting respect between Muslims and Christians, and ultimately reaching a peaceful coexistence between the followers of the two largest and fastest growing religions in the world.
In its few months of existence, under Alexander's direction, the program has been actively engaged in several events involving the Chicago Muslim community.
Alexander holds an M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University in New York in history of religions, with medieval Islamic religion and society as his area of specialization. He has taught several courses on Islam and the history of religions at Columbia University, Fordham University, and Princeton University before launching the program.
|
