Josh Stowe | Authors | News | Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion

Home ›
News & Events ›
News

Student Q&A: Tinaishe Maramba

Published: September 16, 2021

Tinaishe Maramba

Tinaishe Maramba, a master of global affairs student at the Keough School, reflects on his summer experience as an Ansari Institute intern with Religions for Peace.

Remembering master of global affairs graduate Asmaa El Messnaoui

Published: June 17, 2021

Author: Josh Stowe

Asmaa El Messnaoui Featured Image

The University of Notre Dame, Keough School of Global Affairs, and South Bend communities mourn the passing of Asmaa El Messnaoui, a graduate of the school’s master of global affairs (MGA) program. Asmaa passed away June 15 following a cycling accident in Iowa.

Screening Muslims: Working for Peace Through the Media

Published: May 25, 2021

Author: Josh Stowe

Screening Muslims

Film and television can help combat Islamophobia through rich storytelling, members of the Unity Productions Foundation (UPF) team shared during a recent conversation with Mahan Mirza, executive director of the Ansari Institute.

A Q&A with Faculty Fellow Daniel Philpott

Published: April 29, 2021

Author: Josh Stowe

Daniel Philpott

Daniel Philpott, Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame and a faculty fellow of the Ansari Institute, is the recipient of the 2021 Religion and International Studies Distinguished Scholar Award. The honor, given by the Religion and International Section of the International Studies Association, recognizes his pioneering contributions over 25 years as one of the earliest scholars of the “religious turn” in the study of international relations.…

A Q&A with Faculty Fellow Kathleen Sprows Cummings

Published: March 26, 2021

Author: Josh Stowe

In this conversation, Professor Kathleen Sprows Cummings explores the importance of a global perspective to her work as director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, and highlights her efforts as a historian to elevate stories of women and people of color. She also shares some recent highlights from her teaching experience at Notre Dame, and considers the opportunity President Joe Biden has to articulate a vision for the United States that draws from his Catholic faith.

A Q&A on International Women’s Day with Lailatul Fitriyah

Published: March 16, 2021

Author: Josh Stowe

Lailatul Fitriyah2

In this conversation, PhD candidate Lailatul Fitriyah shares her perspective on the issues she highlighted as part of a social media campaign for International Women’s Day 2021.

Panel discussion features Jewish, Christian, and Muslim perspectives on Mideast peace

Published: December 02, 2020

Author: Josh Stowe

Peace In Absentia

A recent Ansari Institute panel discussion, “Peace in Absentia: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Voices on Arab-Israeli Normalization,” explored religious perspectives on how to pursue a sustainable peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The conversation was co-sponsored by the University of Notre Dame’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, Program in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies, and Department of Classics.

What can we learn from religious experience? “Everyday Religion” explores possibilities

Published: November 04, 2020

Author: Josh Stowe

Can religious experiences help us to establish truths about religion? That was the question participants wrestled with during the most recent session of Everyday Religion in a World of Many Faiths.

“Everyday Religion” class unpacks faith’s crucial role in belief

Published: October 28, 2020

Author: Josh Stowe

In recent weeks, Everyday Religion in a World of Many Faiths has explored multiple arguments for the existence of God. Class participants have weighed and debated different cases for religious belief. But the latest session took a different approach. This time, classmates explored the importance of faith in justifying belief.

Grappling with the problem of evil in “Everyday Religion” class

Published: October 21, 2020

Author: Josh Stowe

How does one reconcile God’s existence with the undeniable existence of evil in the world? If God is all-good, all-knowing, and all-powerful, how can he permit evil to exist?That was the question participants wrestled with in the latest session of Everyday Religion in a World of Many Faiths, a free, online class offered by the Ansari Institute.

“Everyday Religion” class explores interplay of science and religion

Published: October 14, 2020

Author: Josh Stowe

How do religion and science interact, and how might we think about their relationship? Participants discussed these questions in the latest session of Everyday Religion in a World of Many Faiths, a free, online class offered by the Ansari Institute

A finely tuned universe points to God in “Everyday Religion” class

Published: October 07, 2020

Author: Josh Stowe

Our universe is finely tuned to support life. If, for instance, the Big Bang, gravity, or electromagnetic force were just slightly weaker, life would not exist. And since this did not happen by chance or necessity, that points to the existence of an intelligent designer—God. Participants explored this argument during the latest session of Everyday Religion in a World of Many Faiths, a free, online class offered by the Ansari Institute.

Arguing for God’s existence in “Everyday Religion” class

Published: September 30, 2020

Author: Josh Stowe

Is it possible to have a philosophical and rational proof of God’s existence? One answer comes in the form of another question: Why is there something rather than nothing? This question, articulated by the 18th-century German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, animated the most recent session of Everyday Religion in a World of Many Faiths.

“Everyday Religion” class explores religious pluralism

Published: September 23, 2020

Author: Josh Stowe

What if there are a plurality of paths to salvation, and each of the great world religions offers such a path? Participants discussed this idea of religious pluralism, which is articulated in the Hindu parable about the blind men and the elephant, during the third session of Everyday Religion in a World of Many Faiths. The class, offered by the Ansari Institute, meets online Thursday evenings and is free and open to the public.

“Everyday Religion” class delves into religious diversity

Published: September 16, 2020

Author: Josh Stowe

When one encounters the rich diversity of the world’s religions, working to understand different faith traditions can promote tolerance, interreligious dialogue, and peace. This was the idea students explored during the second session of “Everyday Religion in a World of Many Faiths.” The class, offered by the Ansari Institute, meets online Thursday evenings and is free and open to the public.

“Everyday Religion” online class begins, exploring big questions

Published: September 09, 2020

Author: Josh Stowe

How can we navigate the ups and downs of life? What goes into our decisions? How do understanding and judgement differ? And what is the role of philosophy in helping us to understand the world? These were among the big questions students wrestled with during the first session of the Ansari Institute’s new online class, “Everyday Religion in a World of Many Faiths.” The class, which is free and open to the public, started Sept. 3 and will meet on Thursday evenings for 10 weeks, through Nov. 5.

Ansari Institute to help change the conversation about religion with new grant

Published: July 16, 2020

Author: Josh Stowe

Asari Discussion

Thanks to a generous grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion will host a series of workshops that will help change the conversation about religion by bringing journalists, scholars, and faith practitioners together to learn from each other and better communicate their perspectives.

Oman student experience inspires dialogue, trust, and broader global perspective

Published: March 27, 2020

Author: Josh Stowe

Oman1

When Julia French traveled to Oman as part of a Keough School class on global religion and politics, she quickly dove into challenging conversations. The University of Notre Dame sophomore from Raleigh, NC, heard from Bangladeshi students who worried that Rohingya refugees were taking too many resources from their country, one of the world’s poorest. It was a perspective French hadn’t encountered in reading media coverage of the larger humanitarian crisis.…

Author urges believers of all faiths to learn from one another

Published: February 24, 2020

Author: Josh Stowe

Kellyjamesclark3

Meeting and talking to believers from other faith traditions enables people to move beyond stereotypes and build lasting trust and understanding, author and scholar Kelly James Clark argued during a recent campus visit.

Ansari Institute program manager offers invocation during Notre Dame's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day luncheon

Published: January 20, 2020

Author: Josh Stowe

Asmaa

Asmaa El Messnaoui, program manager for the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion, offered the opening invocation during the University's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day luncheon on Monday, January 26, drawing on Islamic teaching to underscore the importance of practicing diversity and inclusion and treating others with dignity and respect.…

Catholic and Muslim leaders champion interfaith dialogue, learning at Notre Dame event

Published: November 22, 2019

Author: Josh Stowe

Sultan Saint 1

Members of different faith traditions can learn from each other through civil discourse that respects real differences, prominent Catholic and Muslim leaders said during a Nov. 20 interfaith dialogue at the University of Notre Dame. The conversation, which featured Cardinal Blase J. Cupich…

Experts unpack memes to discuss religion’s rich complexities

Published: November 15, 2019

Author: Josh Stowe

Beyond Memes1

Accomplished journalists, scholars, and thought leaders gathered at the Keough School of Global Affairs’ Washington Office recently to discuss the complexities of religion at a time when a cascade of social media platforms shapes how people understand and discuss faith and practice.