From Doubt to Hope - Interfaith Action SW Michigan Internship

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.   …

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Rafat and Zoreen Ansari Recognized for Their Generosity

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.

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Iranian students urge Notre Dame community to amplify protestors’ voices

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.

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Engaging Religion for the Common Good in a Fast-Changing World

Author: Ansari Institute

Mahan Mirza

Recently, Ansari Institute Executive Director Mahan Mirza visited Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dayton, Ohio to present its third annual Lecture on Faith & Civic Life. In his Sept. 25 talk, “A Life of Faith Beyond Individual Worship—To Work for the Common Good,” Mirza made the case (drawing on his recent work exploring interreligious dialogue, peacebuilding, and the need for religious and scientific literacy) that Muslim scripture and tradition envisions a kind of individual faith that translates personal piety into public action.

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Ansari Institute statement on mass shooting at Christchurch mosques

Author: Ansari Institute

The Ansari Institute condemns the attack on Friday worshipers at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday March 15, 2019. We offer our condolences to all those affected directly and indirectly, in the Pacific and around the world. We cannot allow the shock of this horrific act of violence, which aims to divide us, slow our efforts to come together. At this historical moment when voices that promote hate and violence instantly cross the globe, we cannot hesitate to counter divisive voices and, with deep sadness but renewed resolve, rededicate ourselves to fostering peaceful and just communities that derive strength from diversity.…

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Ansari Institute statement on mass shooting at Pittsburgh synagogue

Author: Ansari Institute

The Ansari Institute condemns the October 27 shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue. We mourn with friends and relatives of the eleven worshippers killed by gunfire, and stand in solidarity with all Jews in Pittsburgh, across the nation, and around the world. At a historical moment when ethno-religious nationalism is rising, and we see more and more anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim rhetoric, it is tragic but not surprising that the gunman, who “wanted all Jews to die,” also was outraged that HIAS, the global Jewish non-profit that protects refugees, had aided displaced Muslims and migrants of other faiths. Evidence suggests the assailant shot the worshippers because HIAS is resettling “invaders” that “kill our people.” But, for us, all …

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