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EMU, Iranians Explore Mutual Interests

Dr. Karimi (second from left), from Mofid University in Qom, Iran, gets acquainted with faculty from EMU's Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.
Photo by Jim Bishop

A leading Iranian human rights scholar spent several hours on campus Thursday, Apr. 5, to learn more about the school's peace and justice studies programs and to propose academic relations between EMU and Mofid University in Qom, Iran.

The visitor, Professor Seyed Masoud Mosami Karimi, is director of the Center for Human Rights Studies at Mofid University. He also served as vice chancellor for 11 years and currently serves on Mofid’s board of trustees along with Iran’s immediate past president, Mohammad Khatami.

Dr. Karimi is the son of Grand Ayatollah Ardebili, a leading Iranian judiciary figure, who founded Mofid University 17 years ago to broaden his country’s study of social justice. Mofid specializes in law, philosophy, economics, and political studies and features research centers in human rights and economics.

Accompanying Karimi was Ahmad Iravani, also from Mofid University and currently a scholar-in-residence and visiting professor of Islamic Law at Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

Two Iranian Professors Visit

Dan Wessner, associate professor of international and political studies at EMU, noted the speed and fortune by which EMU was able to receive two Iranian professors from an institution with similar research and teaching objectives as EMU.

Professor Iravani proposed the visit on Mar. 30, both sides made arrangements and sought immigration clearance and Professor Karimi reached the States on Apr. 4. By the following afternoon, an overflow crowd of students, professors and administrators at EMU’s Martin Chapel greeted the guests from Mofid University.

EMU came to the attention of Karimi for several reasons, Dr. Wessner noted. At a recent meeting of religious leaders that included Mennonite Central Committee representatives with Iranian president Ahmadinejad, "different people told him (Karimi) that 'you must find out more about the peace and justice programs at EMU,'" Wessner said.

In addition, three students and one faculty member from EMU will present papers at Mofid University’s fourth biennial International Conference on Human Rights, May 16-17. Another six students will also be in Qom as part of an EMU history department cross-cultural study tour of Iran and Vietnam.

Center for Abrahamic Traditions

Finally, both EMU and Mofid University are keenly interested in developing centers for the study of Abrahamic Traditions, enabling practitioners and scholars of Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths to work together on projects of mutual concern.

Karimi met with students, staff, administrators and professors of several departments, including the seminary and the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. Two members of Mofid’s faculty will enroll in the CJP-sponsored Summer Peacebuilding Institute in May.

In addition to meetings with EMU faculty and administrators, Karimi gave a public presentation on human rights and religion and fielded 45 minutes of questions from the audience.

Wessner observed that "questions could have gone on for another hour, providing a foretaste of the interchange that the proposed Abrahamic center and academic links between the two universities might afford."

— article by: Jim Bishop; posted April 9, 2007