Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies at Stanford

10/30/2026

🎓💫🎉 Earlier this month, we hosted our Autumn 2026 Welcome Reception to kick off the new academic year and welcome our new minor students, visiting scholars, affiliate faculty, and more!

Stay connected with us throughout the year via our newsletter and social channels, and attend our public events to learn about the social, cultural, intellectual, and political sphere of the Islamicate world.

10/29/2026

10/29/2026

✏️⭐️ 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲: 𝗔 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽

🗓️ Wed, Nov. 4, 2026
⏰ 6:30-8:00 PM
📍 Encina Commons 123
615 Crothers Way, Stanford, CA 94305

RSVP: tinyurl.com/YouBelongHereWorkshop

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲: 𝗔 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 offers a supportive space for Black and African students at Stanford to explore belonging, build confidence, and strengthen campus connections.

Through guided discussions, reflection, and practical exercises, participants will learn strategies to overcome self-doubt, celebrate their achievements, and build supportive peer networks.

Faculty and staff are welcome to attend in a supportive role to listen, learn, and reinforce a shared commitment to inclusion and belonging, while centering students’ voices and experiences.

👉 Sponsored by: cas_stanford & Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies

10/27/2026

🔔🇹🇷📚 UPCOMING EVENT: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟳𝟬𝘀

🗓️ Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026
⏰ 12:00-1:30 PM
🏫 Encina Commons 123
615 Crothers Way, Stanford, CA 94305

🎟️ Attend in-person or on Zoom: tinyurl.com/SelinGumrukcu

Sponsored by: Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, Stanford CDDRL Program on Turkey

Join us for a conversation with 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶 𝗚𝘂𝗺𝗿𝘂𝗸𝗰𝘂 about her book, 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘶𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 1970𝘴: 𝘌𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵. Drawing on original research, the book examines the rise of leftist, nationalist, and Islamist movements, the relationship between political protests and state repression, and the lasting impact of the 1980 military coup on Turkey’s political landscape. It also connects the political struggles of the 1970s to contemporary debates on authoritarianism, democracy, and protest.

𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶 𝗚𝘂𝗺𝗿𝘂𝗸𝗰𝘂 teaches political science and is the Director for the Center of European Studies at Rutgers University.

10/19/2026

🎵🎤📣 Upcoming musical performance:

𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗛 𝗟𝗜𝗭𝗔 𝗚𝗔𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗜: 𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗 & 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 | 𝗔 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗲𝘁𝗿𝘆

Join performance artist, translator, and musician Haleh Liza Gafori for a transcendent night of music and poetry, featuring acclaimed translations of the 13th century mystic Rumi and musical compositions sung in the original Persian!

🗓️ Friday, Oct. 23, 2026
⏰ 7:00-8:00 PM
📍 Dinkelspiel Auditorium
471 Lagunita Drive, Stanford, CA 94305

🎟️ Tickets: tinyurl.com/Haleh2026

Accompanied by world-class cellist 𝗜𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘃𝗶 (Isabel Castellvi), Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗵𝘇𝗮𝗱 𝗜𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 and percussionist 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗮𝘀 𝗞𝘂𝗻𝘇𝗹𝗶 (Mathias Kunzli), Gafori creates a vibrant cross-cultural musical and poetic dialogue as Rumi’s words urgently and tenderly speak to us, ushering us into more loving and soulful realms of being.

The translations are published in two volumes, 𝘎𝘰𝘭𝘥 and 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, by New York Review Books.

𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝘇𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗶 is a New York City-born translator, performance artist, writer, and educator of Iranian descent.

👉 Sponsored by: Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies and Middle Eastern Studies Forum at Stanford

📸 Beowulf Sheehan, Oriana Camara

10/19/2026

📢📚 UPCOMING BOOK TALK: ‘𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗲’ 𝗼𝗿 ‘𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘀’: 𝗜𝗿𝗮𝗾 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟭𝟵𝟱𝟬𝘀 | 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘂 𝗥𝗲𝘆

🗓️ Monday, Oct. 26, 2026
⏰ 4:00-5:30 PM
🏫 Encina Commons 123
615 Crothers Way, Stanford, CA 94305

🎟️ Tickets: tinyurl.com/MatthieuRey

Join us for a book talk exploring the complex political legacy of post-Ottoman and following their independence in the 1940s and 1950s. While parliamentary rule, political parties, and civil society flourished, emergency laws and military intervention challenged democratic governance. The discussion will examine how both countries navigated questions of citizenship, national development, and the balance of political power, and how these struggles to establish genuine sovereignty continue to resonate today.

𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘂 𝗥𝗲𝘆 is currently a senior researcher at CNRS-EHESS and a fellow researcher at the Wits History Workshop in Johannesburg.

10/15/2026

🎵🎤📣 Upcoming musical performance:

𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗛 𝗟𝗜𝗭𝗔 𝗚𝗔𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗜: 𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗 & 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 | 𝗔 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗲𝘁𝗿𝘆

Join performance artist, translator, and musician Haleh Liza Gafori for a transcendent night of music and poetry, featuring acclaimed translations of the 13th century mystic Rumi and musical compositions sung in the original Persian!

🗓️ Friday, Oct. 23, 2026
⏰ 7:00-8:00 PM
📍 Dinkelspiel Auditorium
471 Lagunita Drive, Stanford, CA 94305

🎟️ Tickets: tinyurl.com/Haleh2026

The translations are published in two volumes, 𝘎𝘰𝘭𝘥 and 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, by New York Review Books.

Accompanied by world-class cellist 𝗜𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘃𝗶 (Isabel Castellvi), Gafori creates a vibrant cross-cultural musical and poetic dialogue as Rumi’s words urgently and tenderly speak to us, ushering us into more loving and soulful realms of being.

𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝘇𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗶 is a New York City-born translator, performance artist, writer, and educator of Iranian descent.

Door open at 6:30pm. The show starts at 7:00pm.

👉 Sponsored by: Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, Middle Eastern Studies Forum at Stanford

10/15/2026

🎵📣 Upcoming musical performance:

𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗛 𝗟𝗜𝗭𝗔 𝗚𝗔𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗜: 𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗 & 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 | 𝗔 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗲𝘁𝗿𝘆

Join performance artist, translator, and musician Haleh Liza Gafori for a transcendent night of music and poetry, featuring acclaimed translations of the 13th century mystic Rumi and musical compositions sung in the original Persian.

🗓️ Friday, Oct. 23, 2026
⏰ 7:00-8:00 PM
📍 Dinkelspiel Auditorium
471 Lagunita Drive, Stanford, CA 94305

🎟️ Register: tinyurl.com/Haleh2026

The translations are published in two volumes, Gold and Water, by New York Review Books.

Accompanied by world-class cellist 𝗜𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘃𝗶, Gafori creates a vibrant cross-cultural musical and poetic dialogue as Rumi’s words urgently and tenderly speak to us, ushering us into more loving and soulful realms of being.

𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝘇𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗶 is a New York City-born translator, performance artist, writer, and educator of Iranian descent.

Door open at 6:30pm.

👉 Sponsored by: Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, Middle Eastern Studies Forum at Stanford

10/09/2026

🇸🇾📢 UPCOMING EVENT:

𝗦𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆: 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘀 𝗜𝘁? 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝘀 𝗜𝘁 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗡𝗼𝘄? 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝘀 𝗜𝘁 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴? | 𝗬𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗹-𝗛𝗮𝗷 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗵

🗓️ Monday, Oct. 19, 2026
⏰ 5:00-6:30 PM
🏫 Stanford Humanities Center, Levinthal Hall
424 Santa Teresa Street Stanford, CA 94305

🎟️ Register: tinyurl.com/YassinAlHaj

👉 Sponsored by: Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, Middle Eastern Studies Forum at Stanford, Program on Arab Reform and Development (Stanford CDDRL)

After close to 14 years of cruel struggle, the “eternal” regime was overthrown. came out of that eternity quite shapeless. This talk explores the trajectory of Syria from the beginning of the to the present day, and examines future possibilities.

𝗬𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗹-𝗛𝗮𝗷 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗵 is a Syrian writer and translator, and is an International Visiting Scholar at the Stanford Humanities Center.

10/09/2026

📣📚 UPCOMING BOOK TALK

“Why Amina Wadud Should Be as Famous as Malcolm X” | Carla Power

🗓️ Tues, Oct. 13, 2026
⏰ 5:30-7:00 PM
📍 Encina Commons 123
615 Crothers Way, Stanford, CA 94305

🎟️ Register: tinyurl.com/CarlaPower

👉 Sponsored by: Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies

Join us for a talk by Carla Power, two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist author, examining a leading Islamic scholar and activist, Amina Wadud. Drawing on archival materials, she will discuss Wadud’s journey as a Methodist preacher’s daughter who spearheaded civil rights movements on four continents.

Critical to understanding Wadud is her experience and ever-changing relationship to both Islam and the United States. Now recognised as a leading theologian, changing hearts, minds, and laws in Muslim-majority countries, Wadud’s story and work have resulted in countless Muslim women and q***r people seeing their faith anew.