introducing
The Dr. Shakeela Hassan and Dr. Zia Hassan Institute For Interfaith Encounter
A Commitment to Transformative Religious Engagement
Committed to thoughtful, respectful, and socially impactful inter-religious engagement, confident that religion can be a powerful force for social good, and inspired by a shared belief in the value of transformative, relational, experiential learning, AIC is honored to announce The Dr. Shakeela and Dr. Zia Hassan Institute for Interfaith Encounter.
The Vision of The Hassan Institute
The Hassan Institute (HI) will serve and enable meaningful, life-changing inter and intra-religious encounters across the city of Chicago and beyond. The scope of the Hassan Institute’s vision and activism will include research, teaching support, faculty fellowships, student internships, public lectures and workshops, community outreach, educational trips, and public programs all for the promotion of transformative encounters between diverse believers and faith communities.
In order for interfaith and intrafaith dialogue to be socially impactful and transformative, it requires the engagement of the whole self, meaning the multiple intersecting identities that one holds. These shape one’s experiential journey and in turn affect the interactions with others, including how one relates to the environment. Thus, programming concerned with culture, race, ethnicity, and gender in relation to religious identity yields a deeper understanding of the human condition – these will find relevancy under the Hassan Institute.