Emad Shahin recently joined the Kroc Institute’s faculty as Luce Associate Professor of Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding. An award-winning teacher who has taught at the American University of Cairo and at Harvard University, he compares Islamic movements and politics in different countries of the Middle East. We asked Shahin to reflect on his new position at a peace institute within a Catholic research university.
Why Notre Dame?
This is a place that clearly takes religion and religious values seriously. The university believes, as I do, that religion can play a positive role in our time as a vehicle for positive social change. I take my own religion seriously and believe that we can work together to understand and face the challenges of a more secular and globalized world and to build common ground for peace, justice, and the common good.
You’re teaching a new class on Contemporary Islamic Politics to undergraduates. How’s it going?
It’s a lively class, and right from the start, the students have asked questions that reflect a genuine desire to understand political Islam in all its complexity, including its connection to peace and violence. I was pleased to learn that many of the students in the class are studying Arabic or hope to study Arabic. Notre Dame students are very engaged.
How does your work fit in at an interdisciplinary peace institute?
Islam has recently been associated with violence and terrorism. But terrorism is not part of the true nature of Islam. For most Muslims around the world, this is clear. Radical groups resort to violence out of misunderstanding, injustices, or despair. But the vast majority of Muslims aspire to live in peaceful and stable societies. My position at Kroc enables me to add my expertise to a team of scholars studying the causes of violence and peaceful means to bring about constructive change.
Professor Shahin can be reached at (574) 631-4685 or Emad.E.Shahin2@nd.edu.
