Religion & Peace

A reflection on the role of a Muslim university chaplain, exploring the intersections of faith, service, and companionship in supporting students as they navigate the challenges of growth, identity, and belonging.

When I was assigned the challenge to grow our weekly newsletter subscribers, I got stuck, I must admit. What could we offer that felt genuinely valuable? What would make someone click and want to stay? It had to be something that embodied HIU.

Analyze the Ottoman Empire’s millet system in Istanbul — an elaborate framework for governing religious difference. Learn how structured pluralism allowed for durable, yet unequal, interfaith coexistence.

My teacher, the late Professor Mahmoud Ayoub, used to say ignorance is the original sin of interfaith relations. Not malice, but ignorance. Malice, he believed, was simply ignorance that had found a megaphone.