Encouraging the study of Islam: The State of Kuwait donates to the Institute of Islamic Studies

Six new scholarships created to support Canadian students studying Islam

McGill University and its Institute of Islamic Studies are pleased to announce a $350,000 gift from the State of Kuwait. As a way of engaging and encouraging Canadian students to study Islam as it relates to history, law, science, philosophy, language, literature, and modern Muslim societies and cultures, the donation will be used to fund four State of Kuwait Undergraduate Scholarships and two State of Kuwait Graduate Prizes in Islamic Studies.

“This donation expresses a gratifying recognition by the State of Kuwait of the Institute’s pluralistic approach to the study of Islam while ensuring that we will continue attracting the brightest young minds,” said Professor Robert Wisnovsky, Director of the Institute of Islamic Studies.

McGill’s Institute of Islamic Studies has enjoyed a connection with Kuwait dating back to the 1970s. “We are honoured to renew our relationship with McGill once again today,” said His Excellency Dr. Musaed R. Al-Haroun, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to Canada and former Minister of Education and Higher Education in Kuwait. “We applaud McGill University for its vision and the Institute of Islamic Studies for its commitment to this important area of study. Students are the future, and the State of Kuwait is honoured to help in this way.”

Established in 1952 with the goal of attracting scholars and students from the Muslim world, North America and Europe, the Institute of Islamic Studies was the first of its kind in North America. Its traditional strengths focus on pre-colonial Islamic history, philosophy, theology, law, Islam in South Asia, Ottoman and Turkish Studies, and Arabic and Persian literature. Recently, the Institute has been building its expertise in the history of Arabic-Islamic science and in the modern-day history and politics of the Middle East with the goal of relating Islamic antiquity to the contemporary Muslim world.

On the Web: McGill Islamic Studies