The AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies advances a sound and nuanced understanding of Muslim societies and the Islamic faith within historical and global contexts. Through research, interdisciplinary programs, and community engagement, this CHSS chartered research center supports scholars and students while cultivating future leaders equipped to understand the complex dynamics shaping Muslim communities worldwide. In the fall 2025 semester, the center hosted a vibrant lineup of academic, cultural, and community-focused events that brought together scholars, students, and the wider public.
Guest Lecturers
The Abusulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies hosted several authors during the Fall 2025 semester.
Dr. Zaid Adhami, Associate Professor of Religion at Williams College, was a guest lecturer on Mason’s campus to discuss his recently published book, “Dilemmas of Authenticity: The American Muslim Crisis of Faith (UNC Press, 2025)." In his lecture, he discussed the social forces driving disillusionment and doubt in faith and explored how to sustain faith, belonging, and moral commitment while living with uncertainty. This deeply reflective session on faith, doubt, and lived Muslim experience encouraged honest conversations about belief and belonging.
Dr. Wendy Pearlmen, Jane Long Professor of Arts and Sciences and professor of political science at Northwestern University, was a guest lecturer to discuss her books, “In the Home I Worked to Make: Voices from the New Syrian Diaspora” and her follow-up book, “We Crossed A Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria.” The lecture offered a human context on dramatic questions facing Syria after the fall of the Assad regime and derived broader lessons about migration, identity, and belonging. This event explored themes of displacement, diaspora, and return among Syrian refugees bringing personal narratives together with academic inquiry.
Dr. Younus Y. Mirza, founding director of the Barzinji Institute for Global Learning at Shenandoah University, was a guest lecturer to discuss his new book “The Islamic Mary: Maryam Through the Centuries”. This compelling scholarly reflection on Maryam (Mary) and her interpretations across Islamic history fostered an interreligious dialogue and historical awareness.
Special Events
The center co-sponsored a Center for Humanities book launch, “Crisiswork: Activist Lifeworlds and Bounded Futures in Lebanon” with author Yasemin Ipek, assistant professor in the global affairs Program. The book explicates the relationship between crisis and political imagination by examining the popularization of action in contemporary Lebanon. The event engaged students and faculty in interdisciplinary discourse on crisis, activism, and Middle Eastern Studies. The book launch included discussions with Jessica Greenberg, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and Hatim El-Hibri, Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies at George Mason University, and an affiliate with the program in Middle East and Islamic Studies.
The center in collaboration with the Africana Islamic Social Sciences & Humanities Association (AISSHA) presented “Living Archives: The Histories of Black Tijanis from the U.S. to Senegal”, in New York in December. This event was an insightful exploration into Tijani histories from the United States to Senegal. The event highlighted the rich archival traditions and lived experiences of Tijani communities, deepening understanding of transnational Islamic networks.
The fall semester concluded with the 2025 Graduate Student Book Review Colloquium on Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies. This eighth annual colloquium invited advanced graduate students in the social sciences and humanities to present their book reviews and discuss those reviews with leading scholars in the field.
Commemorating Lives of Impact
The center mourned the loss of Dr. Yaqub Mirza and Dr. Abdulaziz Sachedina in December 2025. They are remembered and honored for their immense contributions to Islamic studies, philanthropy, and the Mason community. Their legacies will continue to inspire the mission of the center for advancing global understanding.
January 20, 2026