Home ›
News & Events ›
News

News

Retracing His Father's Investigation

Published: May 09, 2023

Pilot

Abbas Mirza, head of flight safety with the Pakistan Air Force, looked at his watch. An aide had just rushed to the golf course to deliver the urgent message that a C-130 aircraft carrying President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq had crashed near the city of Bahawalpur. There were no survivors. It was precisely 4 p.m. on August 17, 1988.…

From Doubt to Hope - Interfaith Action SW Michigan Internship

Published: May 08, 2023

Author: Ansari Institute

Mia Moran completed her internship requirements for the past year (September 2022 - April 2023). During her internship, Mia played key roles in both the Celebration of the Harvest and Harvesters Event (a celebration of migrant workers), and the presentation of the 2023 Leadership of the Common Good Award to Senator Mallory McMorrow of Michigan. She also wrote a series of articles for our monthly newsletter engaging the issues of migration, indigenous populations in Michigan, and the importance of Interfaith work. …

Islamic Awareness Week

Published: March 21, 2023

Author: Ansari Institute

Islamic Week Flyer 700

The Muslim Student Association (MSA) is having a week-long Islamic Awareness Week March 21-24. This week is a great opportunity to learn about Islam and its values with Notre Dame Muslims, What Is Islam?…

Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, distinguished panel discuss questions of war and peace at Notre Dame Forum event

Published: March 06, 2023

Author: Notre Dame News

Mcelroy Panel

Citing the important work of previous popes and U.S. Catholic bishops over the past 60 years, Cardinal Robert McElroy, bishop of San Diego, led a discussion on the moral challenges of war and nuclear arms at the University of Notre Dame on Wednesday (March 1).

Rafat and Zoreen Ansari Recognized for Their Generosity

Published: January 18, 2023

Author: Ansari Institute

The national philanthropy world learned about Zoreen and Rafat Ansari in 2017 when they gave $15 million to the University of Notre Dame. The gift was to launch the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion, a scholarly center devoted to nurturing better understanding of the world’s religions and the roles they play in world events. To those in South Bend, Ind., however, the Ansaris have been well known as committed and reliable philanthropic leaders for four decades.

“I feel at home in a faith-based institute”: Religion & inclusion at Notre Dame

Published: December 20, 2022

Author: Jenna Liberto, Director of Internal Communications

Mc 10

Ansari Institute Executive Director Mahan Mirza reflects on practicing his faith and being part of the Notre Dame community.

‘A plurality of voices’: Building multi-faith engagement at Notre Dame

Published: December 20, 2022

Author: Carrie Gates

Bj 12

In many religions — including the Islamic and Jewish traditions — the heart is the center of thought and the seat of wisdom. And for a growing number of faculty and students of these faiths, their hearts are leading them to the University of Notre Dame.

The Rome Gateway opens applications for the Rome Summer Seminars on Religion and Global Politics

Published: December 07, 2022

Author: Costanza Montanari

Constantine

Applications for the Rome Summer Seminars on Religion and Global Politics that will take place from June 4 to 17, 2023 in Rome are open. Graduate students working at the crossroads of religion and global politics may send their submissions by February 10…

Human Dignity Amid Violence in Ukraine

Published: November 30, 2022

Author: Taras Dobko

Taras Dobko Banner

Taras Dobko is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Senior Vice-Rector at Ukrainian Catholic University and a Nanovic Institute Visiting Scholar. Wars are not all alike. They differ in intensity, strategy, and weaponry. But ultimately, all are violent and remain an affront to human dignity, whether they are small in scale or genocide.…

Scholars unpack Indigenous insights at inaugural Nasr Book Prize Symposium

Published: November 10, 2022

Author: Josh Stowe

Asian Traditions Panel

Global collaboration is crucial as the world confronts multiple crises and Indigenous ways of thinking can help point the way. So argued scholars from multiple faith and philosophical traditions, who converged on the University of Notre Dame’s campus Oct. 2-3 for the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion’s inaugural Nasr Book Prize Symposium.

Clingen Family Center and Ansari Institute host "Islam and Ireland" conference

Published: October 27, 2022

Author: Heather Stanfiel

16979edf E398 4102 Bca0 910c90d5a698

The Clingen Family Center for the Study of Modern Ireland, part of the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies, and the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion jointly hosted an October conference at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin highlighting the everyday experience of Muslims living in Ireland.…

New book examines the plight of migrants from a Christian perspective

Published: October 27, 2022

Author: Patrick Gibbons

Groody Event Page Feature

“A Theology of Migration,” a new book by Rev. Daniel Groody, C.S.C., vice president and associate provost for undergraduate education at the University of Notre Dame, examines the historical, philosophical and theological perspectives on migration and asks readers to reconsider their views on how to understand and respond to this global crisis.

In new book on global Catholicism, Provost John McGreevy explores modern history, current challenges of the Church

Published: October 24, 2022

Author: Carrie Gates

Bj 8

Through a series of compelling vignettes and detailed analyses, McGreevy traces the events and trends that gave rise to the modern-day Catholic Church, one marked by an unwavering concern for social justice, unprecedented vibrancy in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia and increasing global connections — and one that has significantly expanded the organizational and symbolic reach of the papacy.

Iranian students urge Notre Dame community to amplify protestors’ voices

Published: October 14, 2022

Author: Ansari Institute

Iran Protests

We are writing this because we want Notre Dame, as a nationally ranked Catholic research university in the US that supports justice and democracy, to now support the people of Iran. After George Floyd, the University mobilized for racial justice. After Ukraine, the University has mobilized against the war. It is time for Notre Dame to stand with Iranians crying out for justice. Iranian lives matter, too.

Ansari Institute and Religions for Peace Announce Strategic Partnership

Published: September 28, 2022

Author: Josh Stowe

The Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion is partnering with Religions for Peace, the world’s largest and most representative multi-religious movement advancing common action for peace. The partnership will allow the two organizations to work together on joint educational initiatives, collaborate on projects designed to advance understanding of interreligious work, and research multi-religious collaborative programs on human rights, peace and security, and sustainable development at various country levels.…

Ansari faculty fellow Karrie Koesel testifies on religious freedom in China

Published: September 09, 2022

Author: Colleen Sharkey

Koesel Karrie Medium Feature

The associate professor will testify on the People’s Republic of China’s strategies for asserting party control over religion, especially through sinicization, which calls on religious believers to integrate party loyalty into all aspects of religious life. She'll offer recommendations for how Congress and the Biden administration can effectively advocate for freedom of religion in China.

On Poland trip, students reflect on religion, international law, and violence

Published: August 16, 2022

Author: Josh Stowe

Powell Narrative Empathy

This summer, Charles W. Powell and Emilia Justyna Powell taught a summer study abroad course that challenged students to learn about atrocities such as genocide and crimes against humanity—including the Holocaust—in the context of international law, and to explore the role religion has played in international law.

Exploring Buddhism and the imagination: A conversation with faculty member Alexander Hsu

Published: August 16, 2022

Author: Josh Stowe

Alex Hsu

In June, Ansari Institute faculty member Alexander Hsu attended “The Imagination and Imaginal Worlds in the Mirror of Buddhism,” a two-week summer institute offered through the National Endowment for the Humanities. The gathering, held at Mangalam Research Center in Berkeley, Calif., featured a mix of scholarly presentations, Q&A with faculty, and breakout sessions, all built around the concepts of Buddhism and imagination. Here, Hsu reflects on the experience, and the inspiration he drew from it as a scholar of Buddhism—and as a teacher.

A conversation with Ansari Office Coordinator Erica Loding

Published: August 16, 2022

Author: Josh Stowe

Eric Loding News

In this conversation, Office Coordinator Erica Loding shares how her faith and focus on human rights connect with her work at the Ansari Institute. She also discusses the opportunities her role provides to help people from different faith traditions come together in dialogue to promote human flourishing.

Student trip highlights: Religion, identity, and peacebuilding at the periphery of Europe

Published: June 15, 2022

Author: Josh Stowe

Bosnian Trip 2

A group of Notre Dame and Bosnian students used a May 18-28 trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina to study religion, identity, and peacebuilding. See photos of their journey, and read reflections from participants.