About Us

The Mohsin and Fauzia Jaffer Center for Muslim World Studies

Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

There has never been a greater need to deepen our understanding of modern-day Islam and dismantle the stereotypes and misconceptions. The Mohsin and Fauzia Jaffer Center for Muslim World Studies is devoted to the study of the challenges facing the Muslim world, the promotion of healthy dialogue among the world’s faiths and Islam’s sects, and the production of objective research and analysis to inform national policy. On campus, the center is a space for Muslim student life and a hub for intellectual and cultural activities for Muslim and non-Muslim students alike.

The creation of the Jaffer Center is a response to a call from the South Florida community that Florida International University lead the way in the creation of an academic center that brings the power and reach of a major public research university to the current discourse on Islam and global Muslim communities.

Building toward that vision, FIU’s Jaffer Center for Muslim World Studies is an international center of excellence promoting a multidisciplinary understanding of Islam and its status around the world. It will reach hundreds of students each year, preparing a new generation to face global change with a solid grounding in Islamic issues. The center also serves as a neutral clearinghouse for unbiased, scholarly discourse.

Five strategic themes will provide the initial concentration of the Jaffer Center:

Global Muslim Diaspora

The Muslim Diaspora is a centuries old journey that continues throughout the world today. One of the fundamental and transformational developments of the 20th and 21st centuries, the diaspora affects virtually every country in the world. The Jaffer Center for Muslim World Studies brings the Green School’s expertise to bear on the examination of linkages between the Muslim World, Europe, North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Southeast Asia. Miami is home to many diaspora communities and FIU is deeply connected to the study of international migration, exile movement and the evolution of urban communities.

Interfaith Dialogue

South Florida is home to an abundance of diverse religious communities and centers – from mosques (Sunni, Shi’a and Ismaili) and synagogues, to Hindu, Buddhist and Jain centers of worship and instruction. Members of these vibrant faith communities are frequent visitors to FIU, including lecturers and professors from different sects of Islam. These exchanges build bridges of understanding, communication and respect. The Jaffer Center for Muslim World Studies draws upon the Green School’s rich faculty expertise to better understand interfaith issues surrounding Islam, the symbiosis of Islam with Christianity and Hinduism, as well as inter-sectarian affairs. The Green School’s unique Muslim-Jewish Relations Initiative will also collaborate with the center to promote conflict resolution and understanding in the context of contemporary politics. Prominent leaders of various faiths will support the center and its mission by participating in conferences and panels on interfaith dialogue.

Intra-Faith Relations

Just as South Florida is a hub for interfaith interaction, it is also home to many diverse groups within Islam. Throughout history, interactions between these branches have led to misconceptions, animosity and conflict. While we are constantly reminded by the media of conflict between the largest Islamic groups, the Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, there has also been considerable tolerance and cooperation within Islam that largely goes ignored. The Jaffer Center aims to provide a more complete understanding of Islamic intra-faith relations, while maintaining objectivity rooted in academic rigor, balanced public offerings and attention to community feedback.

Islam and Security

Regions within the Muslim world, from the Middle East to South Asia, are experiencing unprecedented challenges from political threats, international interventions, environmental degradation, food and water security, and economic instability. Complex interactions of these factors exacerbate these challenges. The Jaffer Center for Muslim World Studies harnesses FIU’s interdisciplinary expertise to provide a holistic analysis of these issues. Such collaborative approaches produce a more nuanced understanding of issues facing the Muslim world and provide a broad base from which to study multifaceted security challenges confronting these populations.

Gender and Identity

Among the misconceptions surrounding Islam are stereotypes related to gender and identity. What does it mean to be a Muslim in the 21st century? What does it mean to be a Muslim woman today? How has the diaspora influenced contemporary Islam? Through an interdisciplinary approach, the Jaffer center addresses a myriad of related issues, including divorce, polygamy and marital rights; participation of women in religious, social and economic life; morality and ethics; sexuality; expectations and challenges affecting men; and how the diasporic experience has shaped identity. The goal is to gain a more complete understanding of issues facing men and women within Islam and the dynamics shaping Muslim communities throughout the world.

These themes, to be augmented as the program develops, dovetail with SIPA’s regional studies programs and will draw from FIU’s noted strengths in the areas of Law, Women’s Studies, Business, Environment, Arts and Society, Journalism and Communication, and Tourism and Hospitality. To spearhead such inter-disciplinary projects and efforts, the Muslim World Studies center will draw on faculty from across The Steven J. Green School and FIU (see attached list of selected faculty members).

This center also houses the Middle East Studies Program and the Western Indian Ocean Studies Program.