Respect Graduate School (RGS) operates as an academic institution that grants a Master of Arts degree in Islamic Studies with the approval of the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera.

Respect Graduate School is committed to providing equal educational opportunities. It is an inclusive institution whose members treat each other with dignity and respect. It does not discriminate against persons on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.

Our institution is governed by a highly qualified Board of Trustees, who represent the cultural mosaic of our society in terms of gender, race, religion, and occupation.

Our Vision and Mission

The Vision of Respect Graduate School is to serve society by educating men and women for scholarship, especially in Islamic Studies, and for leadership in Muslim communities and for society in general, developing knowledge and putting it into practice with excellence in the nation and the world.

Our mission is to be an institution where students and faculty engage in research, teaching, learning and service with an emphasis on Islamic Studies for the public good. In addition to offering students and faculty academically excellent and stimulating opportunities, RGS promotes engagement with, and service to, the local and wider communities, and provides essential and mutually beneficial connections with academic institutions and social agencies

Disclaimer

At Respect Graduate School (RGS), we believe that open discussion of ideas and perspectives in a respectful manner even in sensitive subjects is crucial for the development of knowledge, critical thinking, and stimulation of new opportunities. Therefore, as part of its academic mission, RGS provides a setting for the respectful exchange and examination of a variety of ideas. The views of speakers do not necessarily reflect those of the Respect Graduate School’s, faculty, students or administration.

Islam 101

What is Islam really about? What do Muslims believe and practice? What is Shari’a? What is Jihad? What are the roles of Women? What does Islam teach about other religions and their followers?

These are some of the intriguing questions that we would all like to learn about from competent professors. Respect Graduate School offers a nine-weeks lecture series specifically designed to engage non-Muslim audience to explore such questions in an academic setting. In this program, our professors and audience members will move beyond stereotypes to learn and discuss with candor and respect about the faith, aspirations, spirituality and problems of more than one billion Muslims worldwide.

Participants may be expected to engage in readings and discussions.

Program Schedule:

• Introduction (Co-Teach)
• Islamic Basics: Pillars and Teachings (Zuleyha Colak)
• Qur’ān’ and Hadith (Zuleyha Colak)
• Islamic Sharia (Giovanni Herran)
• Islamic Spirituality (Co-Teach)
• Major Islamic Groups: Sunni and Shi’a (Giovanni Herran)
• Women in Islam (Zuleyha Colak)
• Islam and Other Faiths: Violence, Fundamentalism, and Radicalization (Giovanni Herran)
• Conclusion: (Co-Teach)

Professors:

• Giovanni Herran, Respect Graduate School
• Zuleyha Colak, Columbia University

Past Events

• Colloquium with Katherine Bullock, PhD.
• Jum’ah Prayer and Halaqah with Sh. Mendes
• Christians & Muslims Talking Together: Christianity’s Principle & More
• Decoding the Matrix: Restructuring Muslim Thought for the Modern World
• Qur’anic Recitation or Soccer Practice?
• Jumah Prayer & Friday Halaqah with Ustadh Ubaydullah Evans
• Giovanni Herran Halaqah – The Modern & Post-Modern Self: Nafs and the Human Without Center
• Refractions Through the Secular: Islam, Human Rights and Universality

Contacts

Address: 2200 Industrial Dr, Bethlehem, PA 18017, USA

Phone: +1 610 419 1751

Email: info@respectgs.us

Website: http://www.respectgs.us/