Islam at Harvard University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Agnosticism (23.9%)
- Atheism (17.4%)
- Catholicism (16.9%)
- Hinduism (3.10%)
- Islam (3.90%)
- Judaism (7.40%)
- Mormonism (0.50%)
- Protestantism (14.5%)
- Other (11.3%)
There is a small but notable community of Muslims at Harvard University, compromising 3.9% of the class of 2024.[1] The proportion of Muslims within the university has increased over time, from 1.3% in the class of 2016, 2.6% in the class of 2017, and 3.9% in the class of 2024.[2][1][3][a]
Starting in 1654, the university originally provided Arabic language classes before introducing actual Islamic classes. Such classes were taught alongside Hebrew and other Semitic languages as a part of Biblical studies. According to early Arabic professor Stephen Sewall, it was a "pity, not to say disgrace" that Harvard supposedly lagged behind European universities in Arabic studies by 1768.[4]
In 1765, the first Islamic books were brought to the Harvard Library, and the first Islamic course was taught in 1889.[5] In the same year, the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East[b] was founded and provided manuscripts and artifacts brought from the Ottoman Empire.[6] In 1948, the first Iranian languages were taught, and in 1954, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies was built, which includes Islamic studies, academia, government, business, journalism, and law.[7] Additionally, in 1998, the Middle East Initiative was founded at the Harvard Kennedy School in order to interact with and study the affairs of Muslim-majority nations.[8]
.jpg)
Islamic courses include Islamic art[c][d], architecture[e], calligraphy, literature, history[f], philosophy, theology, culture, economics, law[g][h], science[i], sects, and modernism. Additional courses cover Islam and Christianity, Islam and politics, Islam and women[j], Islam in India[k], Islam in Iran, Islam in Spain, Islam in South Asia, Islam in Syria, Islamic empires, comparative religion, and Orientalism.[9]
Students
The Harvard Islamic Society represents Muslim students at the university. It provides meetings, prayers, programs, service opportunities, and Islamic resources.[10]