The Al Ghazali Islamic Studies Program
“Promoting the understanding and appreciation of Islam and Muslim communities”
Overview
The Al Ghazali Islamic Studies Program, established in 2011, builds upon a relationship dating to 2005, when an endowment for a professorship in Islamic Studies was established at UCF. The program, housed in the Global Perspectives Office, is a collaborative effort with the College of Arts and Humanities. The program’s purpose is to promote the understanding and appreciation of Islam and Muslim communities.
The Al Ghazali Islamic Studies Program Advisory Board
- John C. Bersia, Special Assistant to the President for Global Perspectives, UCF (chair and program director)
- Amb. Harriet L. Elam-Thomas, Director, Diplomacy Program, UCF
- Roger Handberg, Department of Political Science, UCF
- Amb. Ulrich Haynes, former U.S. Ambassador to Algeria
- Imam Tariq Rasheed, Islamic Center of Orlando
- Husain Kassim, Department of Philosophy, UCF
- Hakan Ozoglu, Department of History, UCF
- Sibille Pritchard, President, Global Connections Foundation
- Janan Smither, Department of Psychology, UCF
Join Us
The program sponsors the Al Ghazali Islamic Studies Speakers Series, which brings diverse voices on different aspects of Islam to the University. Invited speakers for this year’s series include Farah Pandith (special representative to Muslim communities of the Obama administration) and Amitabh Pal (author of Islam Means Peace: Understanding the Muslim Principle of Nonviolence Today and managing editor of The Progressive magazine), among others. Stay tuned for more information about these speakers.
Our public forums are free and open to the public. If you belong to a group that would like to reserve seats, please contact our Public Affairs Coordinator, Mark Freeman, for more information.
In addition to the Speakers Series, the program also supports a number of related upcoming events.
Upcoming Events
- 2011-2012 Events
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- Anthony Shadid, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Beirut bureau chief for The New York Times (Dispatches from the Middle East: Covering the “Arab Spring”). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. September 1, 2011
- Mohamed Younis, Senior Analyst, Gallup Center for Muslim Studies (Muslim Life in the West: Addressing Muslim Integration in the U.S. and Western Europe). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. September 29, 2011
- Roya Hakakian, Author, poet, documentary filmmaker and founding member of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (An Insider's Guide to Iran's Turmoil). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. October 4, 2011
- Amitabh Pal, Co-Editor, The Progressive Media Project and author, Islam Means Peace: Understanding the Muslim Principle of Nonviolence Today (Islam Means Peace: Understanding the Muslim Principle of Nonviolence Today). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. February 23, 2012
Get Involved
Those wishing to become more involved with the program have several options:
- “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ucfglobalperspectives
- Follow us on twitter at: www.twitter.com/ucf_global
- Contact us to be added to our email list by sending an request to: global@ucf.edu
Also, email us your suggestions at the address above. We enjoy hearing from our friends in the community about ways to improve our program.
