Bağışın yapıldığı kurumun sitesinin linki aşağıdadır ( Sayfad Dr. Ali Bayram'ın da resmi bulunuyor ) :
http://www.hartsem.edu/events/news_islamicchairgift.htm
Read President Heidi Hadsell’s statement about Hartford Seminary, an ecumenical, interfaith Seminary, and its commitment to interreligious understanding.
Hartford Seminary Receives $2 Million Gift From Turkish Religious Leader
November 9, 2006 -- Hartford Seminary is pleased to announce a gift of $2 million from Dr. Ali Bayram, a Turkish scholar and community representative, to fund a faculty chair devoted to contemporary Islamic studies. This is the largest gift from the Muslim community in the history of Hartford Seminary.
The holder of the endowed chair will have the title “Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies.”
Hartford Seminary houses the Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, the oldest such center in the country and an unparalleled resource for the understanding of Islam in the modern world. This chair will be housed in the Macdonald Center and enhance its program.
Heidi Hadsell, president of Hartford Seminary, said, “Hartford Seminary is truly honored to be the recipient of this generous gift, which shows the commitment of Dr. Bayram to both education, interfaith understanding and peace. The study of Islam is especially important in these difficult times, and this gift will allow us to offer precedent-setting research and teaching on contemporary Islam as it is lived out in the world today.”
“Our Board joins me in appreciation for the commitment that Dr. Bayram is making to Hartford Seminary,” Hadsell said.
Dr. Bayram is one of the leading figures of a Muslim community made up of followers of Turkish theologian and religious leader Fethullah Gülen. He said that he is making the gift because, “For many unfortunate reasons, Islam has been greatly misunderstood. There are not many credible sources of information about Islam, especially its contemporary issues. Neutral scholarly knowledge on Islam is missing from the discussion and not highlighted and we hope this chair will respond to this great need in the United States and globally.”
“I also hope this will not be seen as an ordinary business deal,” Dr. Bayram said. “Through this chair we will prove to our contemporaries that members of different faith communities succeed only by working together in partnership, jointly serving the universal values of humanity.”
One key aspect of the gift is that the $2 million will be invested in accordance with Islamic principles. For example, the gift will not be invested in companies or funds that are based on the sale or promotion of alcohol, gambling or tobacco.
Hartford Seminary’s Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, through co-director Ibrahim Abu-Rabi’, has worked with the Gülen community since 1999 and participated in the discussions leading to the $2-million gift. “I am appreciative of Ibrahim’s support and the Seminary owes him thanks for his effort,” Hadsell said.
The academic and personal contacts of the Macdonald Center with the Gülen community resulted in a meeting of the Board of Trustees in Istanbul, Turkey, in May 2005, at the invitation of the community.
The Gülen community is committed to Christian-Muslim dialogue and interreligious dialogue with other faith communities in general. Commonly known as ‘Hojafendi,’ the community has several students studying at Hartford Seminary, and has had scholars come to the Seminary for sabbatical work.
Abdullah Antepli, a member of the community, is studying for his Doctor of Ministry at Hartford Seminary and also is associate director of the Islamic Chaplaincy Program. “I cannot imagine any better institution than Hartford Seminary to study Christian-Muslim relations because the Seminary has a very long and impressive history and great achievements in teaching in this area,” Antepli said.
Fethullah Gülen is well respected for his activities in the interreligious realm, his standing on the reconcilability of Islam and democracy, his public condemnation of violence in the name of Islam, and his stance on the significance of education in Islam.
The backbone of the Gülen fellowship is its highly regarded elementary and high schools -- more than 1,000 concentrated in Turkey and ethnically linked parts of Central Asia. It also has schools in Africa, North America, South America and Australia. The Gülen community runs six universities.
The Gülen community has a strategic spectrum of media voices: a national television channel, more than a half dozen radio stations, the Cihan news agency and one of Turkey's largest daily newspapers, Zaman, and several weekly and monthly magazines.
The followers of Fethullah Gülen favor modernism, tolerance, dialogue and democracy without sacrificing religious precepts.
The Macdonald Center embodies Hartford Seminary’s long-term commitment to the study of Islam and Christianity and the complex relationship between the two religions throughout history and in the modern world. It challenges scholars, students, the media and the general public to move beyond stereotypes and develop an accurate awareness and appreciation of Islamic religion, law and culture.
Through teaching, scholarly research, publication and community outreach, the center is committed to the premise that through intensive study and academically guided dialogue, mutual respect and cooperation between Muslims and Christians can and must develop.
A major activity of the Macdonald Center is Christian-Muslim relations, with particular emphasis on interfaith dialogue. All Center faculty and personnel are committed to the importance of better understanding between and among faiths, and to supporting efforts toward building relationships based on mutual respect and trust.
The professor holding the chair, besides teaching students in contemporary Islamic studies and interfaith relations, will:
Research and publish treatises
Recruit visiting scholars and students to study at the Seminary
Promote an active community outreach program, including conferences and symposia and overseas study seminars
Assist the Seminary’s programs to promote peace and understanding of all Abrahamic faiths
Hartford Seminary is a non-denominational seminary. It focuses on interfaith relations, congregational studies and faith in practice. Its distinctions include:
Interfaith student body
Oldest Christian-Muslim Relations program in the U.S.
Abrahamic religions program to prepare peacemakers
National experts on congregations
Interreligious partnership to promote vital faith communities
For further information, please contact David S. Barrett, Director of Public and Institutional Affairs, at (860) 509-9519 or
[email protected].
İngilizce bilmeyenler "abi"lerine çevirtsinler.Misyoner pozisyonu dedikleri bu olsa gerek .Neyse alan papaz razı ,veren razı ne diyelim ki ..
