ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ philosophy Professor Cyrus Zargar last week was invested into the newly funded Al-Ghazali Endowed Distinguished Professorship. The position recognizes Zargarβs accomplishments and will allow him to advance his research, pedagogy and community outreach in the area of Islamic Studies.
For Zargar, this means furthering his long-term goal of building connections among students and faculty to talk about religion, theology and social issues.
βI hope to make ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ a center of discussionsβa center of learning where scholars and artists from around the U.S. and the world are heard by a curious and participating campus community,β says Zargar.
Zargar, who joined the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ faculty last fall, has already made moves in advancing ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs . He hosted two public events in the fall, including a showing of the award-winning Iranian film The Color of Paradise, and is working with the university to create a new certificate in interfaith studies. His long-term goal is to build connections among students and faculty to talk about religion, theology and social issues.
Zargar believes ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ is the optimal place for a program in Islamic Studies, which reaches into many disciplines, including religious studies, political science, modern languages and literature and more. βΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ is not an ivory-tower sort of university,β says Zargar. βIn each of the fields it offers for study, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ has deep connections to the Orlando community. Interdisciplinarity is not scoffed at as being beneath the specialistβrather, itβs encouraged. Change is not seen as de-evolutionβrather, itβs embraced.β
βCultural study is the best way I can think of to teach empathy, self-awareness and global understanding.β β Jeff Moore, dean of College of Arts and Humanities
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Provost Elizabeth Dooley and College of Arts and Humanities Dean Jeff Moore presided over the investiture ceremony, which was held on Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ FAIRWINDS Alumni Center.
βCultural study is the best way I can think of to teach empathy, self-awareness and global understanding,β says Moore. βI look forward to the growth of the Islamic Studies program at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ and to watching interfaith understanding and connectedness blossom under Dr. Zargarβs guidance.β
The event was attended by many members of the Islamic Center of Orlando, including Imam Tariq Rasheed. Rasheed, a ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ alumnus, led the charge in creating the new position by encouraging the financial support of hundreds of members of the Islamic Center.
βPerhaps what makes this position so distinctive is that it was not founded by one wealthy benefactor, not a government, nor a corporation, but rather by the Islamic Center of Orlando,β says Zargar. βCitizens of Orlando united by their common interest in promoting learning, dialogue, the study of religion, and the de-stigmatization of Islam and Muslims contributed to making their environment richer by giving of themselves.β
The Al-Ghazali Endowed Professorship was started in 2005 and the Islamic Studies program in 2011 with the overall goal of promoting the understanding and appreciation of Islam and Muslim communities.
Learn more about the Islamic Studies program and Zargar at .
