The Library committee is grateful to the congregation and to friends of the congregation for their support of the first two Symposiums, “Art and Allah.” The 3rd and final Symposium will be held on Monday, November 17th at 7:00 P.M. in the Sanctuary and will feature Mohammad Ja’far Mahallati, Presidential Scholar in Islamic Studies at Oberlin College. Professor Mahallati will speak on “Persian Poetry: The Gate to Islamic Mysticism.” He will discuss a few works from classical Persian poetry, including the Sufi poet, Rumi, each conveying an important concept in the Islamic worldview.
After his studies in Islamic theology from Khan Seminary (Shiraz, Iran) and receiving a B.A. in Economics and International Affairs from National University in Tehran, Mahallati received degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Kansas and in Political Economy from the University of Oregon. His Ph.D. in Islamic Studies is from McGill University. He is presently working on a book, The Return of a Civilization: Reflections on the Contemporary Iranian-Shii Thoughts on War and Peace. He has taught graduate courses and given lectures at Columbia, Princeton, Yale and Georgetown Universities. Besides his interests in religious studies, Mahallati enjoys pursuing his interests in Islamic art and literature, specifically Sufi poetry and sacred calligraphy. He has co-translated into English two published volumes of poetry by the contemporary Iranian poet, Sohrab Sepehri.
Professor Mahallati will answer questions at the end of his presentation, followed by refreshments in Fessenden Hall. This is a special opportunity to learn about Islamic culture through poetry. We look forward to seeing you there.