The Khatib Chair in Comparative Religion at St. Joseph’s College (SJC) will host Dr. Mehdi Aminrazavi for the lecture, “Violence and Peace in Islam” on Monday, April 3 at 1 p.m. on the Clinton Hill campus.

Dr. Aminrazavi is a professor of philosophy and religion, and co-director of the Center for Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. His areas of specialization are Islamic studies, Islamic philosophy, theology, mysticism, philosophy of religion and medieval philosophy.

“Dr. Aminrazavi is a leading scholar on the religion and culture of Islam,” said Thomas Petriano, Ph.D., professor and chair of religious studies at SJC Long Island. “His lecture promises to be a timely and informative discussion of Islam and the West and will extend our knowledge of and capacity to collaborate with our Muslim colleagues.  We are fortunate to have him as this year’s Khatib Chair.”

His lecture will explore the rise of political Islam in the 19th century; the tradition of Islamic philosophy; Islamic ethics and art; Islamic contributions to mathematics; Islam and the West; the roots of Islamic extremism and the formation and evolution of Islamic theology.

Each spring, through the generosity of Dr. Reza Khatib and Georgianna Clifford Khatib ’52, SJC hosts a noted scholar who lectures, leads faculty discussions and teaches a course to students. The Khatib Chair’s purpose is to promote interfaith dialogue, with the study of Islam being an integral part of the initiative.

This lecture is free and open to the public. RSVP online or for more information, email Dr. Petriano at tpetriano@sjcny.edu.