Annual Nursi Chair Iftar Dinner
Each year the Bediuzzaman Said Nursi Chair in Islam Studies hosts a community Iftar dinner bringing together members of the JCU community, the Cleveland Muslim community, and others from around Cleveland. Iftar is the name given to the daily evening meal that Muslims have to break their fast at sunset during Ramadan. The dinner typically starts with dates and water, followed by the sunset or Maghrib prayer and then a large, social meal. It is a communal, celebratory event often shared with family, friends, and one's community. For the Nursi Chair, this is an important way to both celebrate Ramadan with our Muslim brothers and sisters, but also to introduce non-Muslim friends and colleagues to one of Islam's special and memorable customs. All are invited to share in this festive occasion.
This Year’s Speaker is Dr. Najeeba Syeed, the inaugural El-Hibri Endowed Chair and Executive Director of Interfaith Institute at Augsburg University. She has been a professor, expert practitioner and public speaker for the last two decades in the fields of conflict resolution, interfaith studies, mediation, education, deliberative democracy, social, gender, and racial equity.
