Old Women of Nishapur Roundtable on April 15
WHAT HAVE THE WOMEN OF NISHAPUR TOLD US?
Roundtable discussion with Katherine Lemons and Setrag Manoukian
1:30pm 鈥� 3pm, Room MOR 328 (Morrice Hall)
Katherine and Setrag will open the session reflecting retrospectively on the work of the initiative but also on their respective ongoing engagement with the Women of Nishapur.
Come to discuss what difference the women have made in your thinking ! Bring to the table your own understanding of what the women are (not) telling us.
Sponsored by: Department of Anthropology, Institute of Islamic Studies and SSHRC.听
Community Benefit for Sudan on April 27
Join us as we come together for an evening of poetry, community, and music to raise funds for the Sudan Solidarity Collective (SSC).
April 27
Doors open: 7:30 pm
Show starts at 8 pm
Venue: La Sala Rossa (4848 Blvd Saint - Laurent, Montreal QC H2T 2R6)
. The suggested donation is $10 - $50.
The Sudan Solidarity Collective (SSC) formed in response to the outbreak of a brutal war in Sudan. It seeks to resource grassroots civil society formations at the frontlines of relief efforts in those parts of Sudan that have been hardest hit by militarized state violence.
We are a volunteer group of students, professionals, activists, and community members from the Sudanese diaspora in Toronto who came together in response to the devastating war that broke out in April 2023. We are anti-war and pro-peace. We provide political education and awareness to the global community. Crucially, we work through a mutual aid structure to provide direct support to civilian-led collectives tirelessly working on the ground in Sudan.
These civilian-led organizations鈥攊ncluding emergency response rooms, resistance committees, mutual aid groups, and independent labour and farmers鈥� unions鈥攈ave been at the forefront of relief efforts on the ground. They provide clean water, medical supplies, communication infrastructure, community kitchens, reproductive health services, and evacuation assistance to those affected by the conflict. While imperial-backed military forces pillage and run the breadbasket of the world into the ground, these civilian volunteers are doing life-saving work and keeping the revolution alive.
The Sudan Solidarity Fund provides direct financial assistance to support these groups as they respond to the life-threatening consequences of war and continue their valuable work within the Sudanese civil society sphere.
This event is co-organized by SSC鈥檚 Montreal members, Stefan Christoff, the World Islamic and Middle East Students Association at 91社区 (WIMESSA) & CKUT 90.3 FM. The event also includes the launch of a poetry collection for Sudan by WIMESSA and SSC. This event was made possible by the generous financial support of the Dean of Arts Development Fund (DADF).
Congratulations to Anas Taleb!
The Institute of Islamic Studies warmly congratulates Anas Taleb, a joint honours student in History and World Islamic and Middle East Studies. Anas has been awarded the Undergraduate Scholarship by the Ottoman Turkish Studies Association (OTSA), a competitive fellowship granted to one undergraduate student across North America every year. The fellowship intends to support students with an academic interest in Turkish Studies, whether it is Turkish language, history, or politics.
The fellowship will support Anas鈥� stay in Turkey for four weeks during the summer of 2025. We wish him a great time in Turkey!
If you want to find out more about fellowships and other academic opportunities in Turkey, feel free to contact either Professor veysel.simsek [at] mcgill.ca (Veysel Simsek) or Professor aslihan.gurbuzel [at] mcgill.ca (Aslihan Gurbuzel).听
Photo: Anas Taleb with Dr. Veysel 艦im艧ek, Faculty Lecturer in Turkish
Islam in Africa featuring Professor Ousmane Kane
Join the School of Religious Studies, the African Studies Program, and the Institute of Islamic Studies for a series of events on Islam in Africa featuring Professor Ousmane Kane, Harvard Divinity School:
Tuesday, April 8
- Public Lecture, 鈥淒ecolonizing the Study of Islam in Africa鈥� (Prof. Ousmane Kane)
- Birks Chapel (3:30pm)
- Professor Ousmane Kane is the emeritus and inaugural Alwaleed bin Talal Professor of Contemporary Islamic Religion and Society at Harvard Divinity School and the world鈥檚 leading scholar of Islam in Africa. He is a specialist in the history of Islamic religious institutions and intellectual history in Africa and has published a number of groundbreaking publications on a range issues including migration, modernity, politics, Sufism, Islamic education and intellectual traditions, and, most recently, pilgrimage. Some of his most prominent books include: Muslim Modernity in Postcolonial Nigeria (2003), Non-Europhone Intellectuals (2012), Beyond Timbuktu: An Intellectual History of Muslim West Africa (2016), and Islamic Scholarship in Africa: New Directions and Global Contexts (2021). He was recently awarded the African Studies Association鈥檚 prestigious 鈥淒istinguished Africanist Award鈥� in 2024 for his work uniting, transforming, and advancing the fields of African Studies and Islamic Studies.
Thursday, April 10
- Panel, 鈥淭ravel, Study, and Piety & the Islamic Traditions of Africa鈥�
- Birks SCR (noon)
- 鈥淭he Transformation of the Pilgriamge Tradition in West Africa鈥� (Prof. Ousmane Kane, Harvard University)
- 鈥淭he Circulation of Praise: The Movement of Madih in the Bilad Al-Sudan鈥� (Prof. Oludamini Ogunnaike, University of Virginia)
- 鈥淢igration & Education, Continuity & Change in the Muslim Black Atlantic鈥� (Prof. Ayodeji Ogunnaike, 91社区)
Friday, April 11
- Dialogic address on Interdisciplinarity, Religious Studies, Islamic Studies, and African Studies (Profs. Ousmane Kane, Oludamini Ogunnaike, & Ayodeji Ogunnaike)
- Octagon, Morrice Hall (1:30pm)
Join us for a public conversation between Professors Ousmane Kane and Oludamini Ogunnaike on the fields of religious studies, Islamic studies, and African studies, their experiences working in these fields, how the fields connect with each other, and where they are headed. The conversation will be moderated by Professor Ayodeji Ogunnaike, with time for audience engagement.
Eid Mubarak!
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Rula Abisaab's Talk:听Memorizing the Qur鈥檃n without Understanding - March 25
The Old Women of Nishapur Initiative and The Institute of Islamic Studies invite you to a public talk:
Memorizing the Qur鈥檃n without Understanding
Dr Rula Abisaab, Institute of Islamic Studies
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
10:00-12:00
Leacock 738
Developing some ideas from in Immanent Frame, Professor Rula Jurdi Abisaab will lead a discussion on the following article:听Gent, Bill, and Abdullah Muhammad. 2019. "Memorising and Reciting a Text without Understanding Its Meaning: A Multi-Faceted Consideration of This Practice with Particular Reference to the Qur鈥檃n" Religions 10, no. 7: 425.
We will read together some of its paragraphs, so bring a copy of the article with you, preferably a hard copy (no screens !).
Intersecting the specific modality of knowledge of the old women, memorization has also been a topic of discussion across academic groups on campus, in relation with new ways of teaching in the wake of AI and other current concerns (attention, slow reading, experience learning). This is a rare opportunity to think together about the practice of memorization, in relation to Islamic traditions and beyond.
Islamic Studies Poetry Night & Potluck Iftar on March 24
Join us on Monday, March 24, 2025, for a two-folded event involving
poetry and food! We will start with a poetry night in the Octagon room
(Morrice Hall, Islamic Studies Library) from 5 to 7 p.m. We will then
move to Morrice Hall 017 (Morrice Hall basement) for a potluck
Iftar (7-9 p.m.). Come prepared!
Monday, March 24 from 5:00 鈥� 9:00 p.m.
Morrice Hall
This event is co-sponsored by the Islamic Studies Library, the Institute of听Islamic Studies, the 91社区 Institute of Islamic Studies鈥� Student Council听(MIISSC), and the World Islamic and Middle East Studies鈥� Student听Association (WIMESSA).
Open to the general public.听All languages welcome!
A Look Back at Nowruz 1404 Celebration with the Persian Program
On this second day of Spring, let鈥檚 take a look back at this year鈥檚 Nowruz 1404 event (賳賵乇賵夭 郾鄞郯鄞) by the Persian program!
On March 11, the Persian program at the Institute brought together students, faculty, and friends form across 91社区 and Montreal to celebrate Nowruz (賳賵乇賵夭) and welcome the Persian new year with a beautiful Haftsin (賴賮鬲 爻蹖賳) table, live music performances, cultural presentations, and, of course, plenty of delicious Persian food and pastries.
Nowruz, meaning 鈥楴ew Day鈥� in Persian, marks the beginning of spring and the new year for Iranians and is also celebrated by many other peoples and countries, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
A heartfelt thank you to the 91社区 graduate students and to our undergraduate students in the Persian program whose performances and contributions helped make this event so special. Your dedication and enthusiasm brought the spirit of Nowruz to life!
Thank you to everyone who joined us! Wishing you all a year filled with joy, growth, and new beginnings. 賳賵乇賵夭 賲亘丕乇讴!
Hope to see you for Nowruz 1405!
Ramadan Kareem!
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Celebration (Event) of Nowruz 1404 (噩卮賳 賳賵乇賵夭 郾鄞郯鄞)
It鈥檚 that time of year again! Spring is around the corner and so is Nowruz (賳賵乇賵夭), the new year celebrated by Iranians and several other nations and ethnicities! Continuing a long-lasting tradition, the Persian program at 91社区 is, once again, holding a Nowruz celebration event.
Come learn about Nowruz, see our Haftsin (賴賮鬲 爻蹖賳) table, enjoy some music, play games, and have some Persian food and pastries! Join us for a glimpse of 亘賴丕乇 (产补丑补虅谤, 鈥楽pring鈥� in Persian) on an ever-so-cold Montreal evening!
Time and place: Tuesday March 11th, 5:30 鈥� 7:30 pm 鈥� McCall MacBain Arts Building 150
Institute Students Sarah Elobaid and Eman Elawad's Radio Interview on Sudan
On Feb. 1, 2025, radio and podcast host Stefan Christoff interviewed two Institute of Islamic Studies undergraduate students regarding the current violence in Sudan. Along with seasoned activists Duha Elmardi and Yaser Essa, Eman Elawad and WIMESSA President Sarah Elobaid spoke before a live audience at Casa Del Popolo in Montreal about the historical context of the violence in Sudan, the role of the Sudanese diaspora, and the role of art and poetry in Sudan activism. The program was broadcast on CKUT Radio's , where you can download the episode. Photos by Amru Salahuddien.
Congratulations to Khadijatu-Dimalya Ibrahim!
91社区's African Studies Program and the Institute of Islamic Studies salute Ms. Khadijatu-Dimalya Ibrahim, recipient of the 91社区's Centre Culturel Islamique de Qu茅bec Memorial Award for her contribution to the Muslim community in 91社区, Quebec and Canada. Ms. Ibrahim has demonstrated the central role of Africa to the tradition of Islam. For details, please consult the article in 听and the article in听.
鈥淜hadijatu-Dimalya Ibrahim, who co-founded 91社区鈥檚 Black Muslim Association in 2023, was recognized with the University鈥檚 Centre Culturel Islamique de Qu茅bec Memorial Award.
Established in 2018, the $3,000 award recognizes students who demonstrate a commitment to fostering the inclusion of Muslims within Quebec and Canadian society.鈥� (91社区 Reporter)
Persian Program鈥檚 鈥楩ield Trip鈥� to Cinema du Parc
As part of the Persian program, we organized a field trip to Cinema du Parc to watch 丌賵丕夭 亘賵賯賱賲賵賳 (Universal Language / Une langue Universelle) on January 29th. 听This unique Canadian film blends Persian, English, and French in a surreal and thought-provoking story set between 1980s Tehran and Winnipeg.
A huge thank you to Dr. Behzad Borhan for the great recommendation! It鈥檚 exciting to see a film like this, showcasing linguistic and cultural diversity while gaining international recognition鈥攕hortlisted for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards and featured at Cannes 2024.
Even more exciting, we had the incredible opportunity to meet and talk with the film鈥檚 director, producer, and actors, gaining insight into the creative process and multilingual storytelling behind the film.
In the Persian program, learning extends beyond the classroom with cultural events, conversation sessions, and trips like this. Looking forward to more experiences like this in the future and thanks to all our students who came!
Talk by Marie Rask Bjerre Odgaard: "When She Arrives: On friendship, singular encounters, and being an anthropologist like a friend." - February 12, 2025.
The Old Women of Nishapur Initiative: gender, knowledge, religion. Department of Anthropology and Institute of Islamic Studies 91社区.
An SSHRC sponsored event with support from Critical Media Lab 91社区
Wed. Feb 12, 2025 鈥� 12:30 pm
Peterson Hall - 116
The Beautiful friend shows up unexpectedly and a worlding can begin. In this talk, we move from making friends on a quiet street in Denmark to friendships in Jordan and finally to friendship and the possibility of transformative solidarity in anthropology. When invisible, affective gestures are captured ethnographically in all their singularity, can we be an anthropologist like a friend? One primary ethical demand in friendship is that you do not tell your friends鈥� secrets, no matter what. When this demand is translated into being an anthropologist like a friend, it often leads to seemingly endless discussions about how to tell the story of what emerges in-between鈥攈ow to make that story both an expression of a relationship and a more general view of the world, without becoming a tell-tale, and how to best honor your friend鈥檚 desires against powers that may seek to eradicate those desires altogether. Through the lens of anthropology, this talk examines how friendships鈥攐ften full of personal secrets and intimacies鈥攊nform and complicate our positionalities and the purpose of the work we do. As illuminated by Leela Gandhi's work on radical possibility and the politics of friendship (2006), the talk considers the productive and at times frustrating tension between relational ethics of trust and intimacy, professional responsibility, and the potential for a radical politics of friendship that resists colonial narratives and embraces unfinished relations and transformative solidarity.
Marie Rask Bjerre Odgaard听will also offer a discussion seminar on her research on family and queerness in Jordan, we will read one of her chapters and discuss it with her. Write to setrag.manoukian [at] mcgill.ca to receive the pdf.
Tue. Feb 11, 2025 鈥� 2:30 pm-4:30 pm
Morrice Hall - 328
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Professor Michelle Hartman鈥檚 work featured at talks in Cairo
Professor Michelle Hartman presented her work at several talks in Cairo, Egypt in January. AT KMT House she was in conversation with Professor Magda Hasabelnaby of Ain Shams University about women鈥檚 literature, war stories, and translation.
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At Diwan Bookshop in Zamalek Michelle presented her recent co-translation (with Caline Nasrallah) of Asmaa Alatawna鈥檚 A Long Walk from Gaza in conversation with Cairo University Professor, Hoda Elsadda.
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"Lyrical Language Learning," Behzad Borhan - February 1, 2025
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IIS PhD Student, Behzad Borhan, will give a lecture at University of Toronto, on Saturday, February 1.
"Lyrical Language Learning: A Multisensory Approach to Teaching Persian Language through Literature and Music"
For more information, please听.
Congratulations to Arteen Khachekyan!
Congratulations to MA student Arteen Khachekyan on receiving a 2025 SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship, for his project entitled, 鈥滼ewish Philosophy in Medieval Baghdad: A Study of Ibn Kammuna's Ethics in an Interfaith Context". His supervisor is Professor Robert Wisnovsky.
What the War Left Behind featured in Jadaliyya
Professors Malek Abisaab and Michelle Hartman's latest book, "Women's War Stories: Women's Stories of Resistance and Struggle in Lebanon"听has been featured in Jadaliyya.
Please see their interview听.
Congratulations to Megan Martucci!
Congratulations to MA student Megan Martucci on successfully completing her MA thesis entitled: "When language abandons us: translating Adania Shibli鈥檚 Minor Detail into English, French, and Portuguese".听 Her supervisor was Professor Michelle Hartman.
Talk by Mahdi Tourage - January 23, 2025
"Misogyny, Racism and the Limits of Mystical Knowledge in Rumi's Poetry"
We are pleased to invite you to the forthcoming Institute of Islamic Studies Lecture Series event for Winter 2025, which will maintain its emphasis on Sufi Studies.
Like all of our events, it is free and open to the public. All are welcome.
Thursday, January 23
Morrice Hall 017
2:30 - 4:00
Congratulations to Prof Prashant Keshavmurthy!
Professor Prashant Keshavmurthy has received an Internal Social Sciences and Humanities Development (SSHD) Grant for his project, forthcoming as a bilingual facing page translation with Brill, "Producing the first critical edition of Amir Khusraw's The Nine Skies."听
Prashant Keshavmurthy's Recent Interview
Professor Prashant Keshavmurthy was interviewed by the Iranian magazine Kh膩ne-yi ket膩b va adabiy膩t-e Ir膩n (The House of Books and Literature of Iran) on .
ion and violence that have been generated by neoliberal capitalism?