Bayan Islamic Graduate School is a private, non-sectarian Islamic graduate school based in

Orange, California Orange is a city located in North Orange County, California. It is approximately north of the county seat, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many of the homes in its Old Town District were built before 1920. While many other ...

with its campus located in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. It offers accredited Master of Arts degrees in four subject areas:

Islamic Studies Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...

, Islamic Leadership, Islamic Education, and Advanced Islamic Theology as well as a Master of Divinity in Islamic Chaplaincy. Bayan's degree programs are offered in partnership with the

Chicago Theological Seminary Founded in 1855, the Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) is the oldest higher education institution in the City of Chicago and was established with two principal goals: first, to educate pastors who would minister to people living on the new west ...

(CTS), one of Chicago's oldest seminaries. Bayan also offers several continuing education programs including a graduate certificate in conjunction with CTS, an Intensive Arabic Language course online, and unlimited access to self-paced courses in Islamic Studies, Chaplaincy, and other subjects through Bayan On-Demand.

History

Bayan was established in 2011 through a collaboration with the Claremont School of Theology (CST) and the Islamic Center of Southern California with the purpose of preparing spiritual and religious leaders (such as pastors, priests, imams, and chaplains) who learn in an inter-religious environment. Bayan's first graduating class was in 2013. In 2016, Bayan Launched the first 72-unit accredited M.Div. in Islamic Chaplaincy, and the first 48-unit accredited M.A. in Islamic Education in the United States. In 2017, with the blessing of Muhammad Ali's family, Bayan launched a full-tuition scholarship for students who are working as leaders in underserved communities nationwide. During the same year, Bayan also launched Bayan On-Demand, a subscription platform giving the community access the same graduate courses Bayan students study with world-class instructors. In 2019, Bayan formed a partnership with the Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS). As of 2022, Bayan has 70 alumni.

Founder and president

Jihad Turk is the founding president of Bayan. Prior to founding Bayan, Jihad served as the Religious Director of the Islamic Center of Southern California, the oldest and largest mosque in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

area.

Accreditation

As of fall 2020, Bayan's degree programs are being offered in partnership with the world-renowned Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS), one of the earliest Chicago seminaries. Degree programs at CTS are accredited by the

Association of Theological Schools The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The as ...

(ATS) as well as the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

(HLC) of the state of Illinois. CTS, founded in 1855, is affiliated with the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximatel ...

(UCC). Bayan's programs constitute “concentrations” within established accredited degree programs of the host institution. The majority of program requirements are fulfilled by enrolling in courses provided by Bayan. In due course, Bayan intends to apply for independent accreditation with the appropriate regional bodies. Bayan initially operated beginning in Fall 2011 as a division of the Claremont School of Theology (CST), which is accredited by the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Sam ...

(WASC) and the

(ATS). CST, founded in 1885, is affiliated with the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...

(UMC). CST's leadership took the pioneering step of incubating Bayan as one of the first Muslim American theological schools, with the purpose of enabling authentic Islamic education and leadership development, and sincere interreligious learning among students of various faith backgrounds. Bayan's academic partnership with CST will conclude in June 2021, with the graduation of Bayan students completing programs they began at CST.

Graduate degree programs

As of 2022, Bayan offers five degree programs. *Master of Arts in Islamic Studies *Master of Arts in Islamic Leadership *Master of Arts in Islamic Education *Master of Arts in Advanced Islamic Theology *Master of Divinity in Islamic Chaplaincy

Bayan On-Demand

In 2017, Bayan launched BayanONLINE, now called Bayan-On-Demand, a digital learning platform that includes over 250 hours of course content that speak directly to a multitude of issues Muslims face today. The on-demand content is curated by Bayan's faculty and is the same instruction that degree-seeking students have access to. Bayan-On-Demand offers an “All Access Pass” which provides subscribers with full access to Bayan's digital content library. Bayan adds to its library on a regular basis. As of summer 2022, courses available through Bayan On-Demand include: *Chaplaincy in Contexts *Foundation of the Islamic Worldview *Fundraising Strategies for Religious Non-Profits *Islam and Liberal Citizenship *Islam & West Africa *Islam in America *Islam in Blackamerica: From Slavery to Hip-Hop *Islamic Bioethics *Islamic History *Islamic Law and Legal Theory *Islamic Mysticism *Islamic Spirituality & Leadership *Islamic Theology and Philosophy *Muslim Adolescent Identity Development *Prophetic Biography *Prophetic Model of Ministry *Public Speaking: Islam & The Media *Self-Development and Spiritual Care *Universal Maxims In Islamic Law & Beyond

Notable faculty

Bayan has its own faculty but also invites faculty from other institutions to teach courses in their hybrid intensive format (a format that utilizes online platforms as well as in-person teaching). * Dr. Asifa Quraishi, Professor of Law,

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

* Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah * Dr. Ovamir Anjum * Dr. Jonathan Brown, associate professor,

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

*Dr. Hadia Abdullah *Dr. Walead Mosaad, Director of Muslim Student Life,

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Epi ...

*Karima Alavi *Brie Loskota, co-director, American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute,

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

*Dr. Zareena Grewal, associate frofessor,

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

* Dr. Sherman Jackson, King Faisal Chair of Islamic Thought and Culture and Professor of Religion and American Studies and Ethnicity at the

* Edina Lekovic, public affairs consultant,

Muslim Public Affairs Council The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) is a national American Muslim advocacy and public policy organization headquartered in Los Angeles and with offices in Washington, D.C. MPAC was founded in 1988. According to the organization’s website ...

*Dr. Su’ad Abdul-Khabeer, associate frofessor,

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

*Dr. Joseph Lumbard, a co-author of ''The Study Qur'an'' *Dr.

Rami Nashashibi Rami Nashashibi is a Palestinian-American activist, community organizer, sociologist, and Islamic studies scholar. He founded the nonprofit organization Inner-City Muslim Action Network in 1997, working as its executive director for many years, an ...

, founder of the

Inner-City Muslim Action Network Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), founded in 1996 by Rami Nashashibi, is one of the leading Muslim charity organizations in the United States. According to the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, IMAN seeks "to utilize the tremendous possib ...

* Dr. Omid Safi, Associate Professor of Islamic Studies, Duke University *Nadia Roumani, co-director, American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute,

* Shaykh Suhaib Webb *Dr. Ozgur Koca, author *Najah Bazzy, RN, founder and CEO, Zaman International School *Elijah Reynolds, lecturer, Santa Clara University * Dr. Maria Massi Dakake *Dr. Kameelah Mu‘min Rashad *Dr. Hamada Altalib, assistant professor,

Yale School of Medicine The Yale School of Medicine is the graduate medical school at Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded in 1810 as the Medical Institution of Yale College and formally opened in 1813. The primary te ...

*Dr. Ihsan Bagby, associate professor,

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

*Dr. Reinhard Krauss, executive director, Academy for Judaic, Christian, and Islamic Studies *Salam Al-Marayat, president,

*Shaykh Jihad Brown *Necva Özgür, executive director, MERIT *Dr. Hamid Mavani *

Omar Suleiman (imam) Omar Suleiman ( ar, عمر سليمان; born 1986) is an American Muslim scholar, civil rights leader, writer, and public speaker. He is the Founder and President of Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, and an Adjunct Professor of Islamic S ...

*Dr. Aasim Padela, professor,

Medical College of Wisconsin The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is a private medical school, pharmacy school, and graduate school of sciences headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school was established in 1893 and is the largest research center in eastern Wisconsin ...

*Seyed Hadi Qazwini, Associate Imam, Islamic Education Center of Orange County *Tahara Akmal *Dr. Sylvia Chan-Malik *R, David Coolidge *Imam Suhaib Webb, International Scholar *Dr. Kamran Aghaie, Associate Professor of Middle East Studies,

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

Notable alumni

* Basheer Jones, former member,

Cleveland City Council Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of government for the City of Cleveland, Ohio. Its chambers are located at Cleveland City Hall at 601 Lakeside Avenue, across the street from Public Auditorium in Downtown Cleveland. Cleveland Ci ...

* Sondos Kholaki, Board Certified Hospital Chaplain,

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2 ...

and Author * Preacher Moss, author and comedian * Dr. Jihad Saafir, founder and executive director, Islah LA

Notable support

In 2020, Bayan received a grant of $234,500 from the

Templeton Foundation The John Templeton Foundation (Templeton Foundation) is a Philanthropy, philanthropic organization that reflects the ideas of its founder, John Templeton, who became wealthy via a career as a Contrarian investing, contrarian investor, and wanted ...

to support Bayan's “Advanced Islamic Theology and Contemporary Thought Program.” The project funding enabled Bayan to develop three new courses for an Advanced Islamic Theology concentration within the Master of Arts (MA) degree, inclusive of a special certificate given to students completing the course sequence. The courses have been developed based on a period of dedicated research and conceptualization by Resident Scholar Shaykh Jihad Brown.> In 2021, Bayan received a $1,000,000 grant from the Annenberg Foundation to expand its programming.

References

External links

*
Bayan/Chicago Theological SeminaryBayan On-Demand
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayan Graduate schools in the United States Islamic seminaries and theological colleges Universities and colleges in California Universities and colleges in Chicago