Notre Dame theologian to assist in forming a Society for Qu'ranic Studies | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Notre Dame theologian to assist in forming a Society for Qu'ranic Studies Notre Dame theologian to assist in forming a Society for Qu'ranic Studies Published: June 15, 2012 Author: Michael O. Garvey Gabriel Said Reynolds, Tisch Family Associate Professor of Islamic Studies and Theology at the University of Notre Dame, will be co-director of an international consultation to develop a plan for the formation of an independent association of Quranic scholars. The three-year initiative, sponsored by the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) with a $140,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, will bring together scholars of the Quran to discuss the potential establishment of a Society for Qu’ranic Studies (SQS) to foster scholarship in an expanding and increasingly diverse academic field. Remarking on the dramatic growth in Quranic scholarship in recent years, Reynolds said that “the Quran is a work of extraordinary importance, both for its witness to the rise of Islam and for its central place in Islamic societies through the centuries and still today.” According to Reynolds, scholars in the SQS “will be encouraged to share diverse perspectives and cutting-edge research on the Quran’s language, its dialogue with other scriptures and the context in which the text arose. By approaching the Quran as a historical, literary and religious text, SQS will demonstrate the extraordinary and wide-ranging scholarly value of the Quran.” Acknowledging Islam’s long tradition of Quranic scholarship, Reynolds said that “the great commentators of classical Islam researched foreign languages and even Biblical traditions in their efforts to understand the Quran more profoundly." “Rigorous academic study of a sacred text is itself a sign of respect for that text,” he said. “The Quran is a text of immense importance and deserves academic appreciation no less than other sacred texts.” Reynolds said the consultation, in which he will be joined by John F. Kutsko, SBL executive director, and Emran El-Badawi, assistant professor of Arab Studies at the University of Houston, “reflects our concern to invite input from a wide range of individuals and institutions in order to be certain that we develop a society that is marked at once by academic rigor and an atmosphere of openness.” The first public events of the consultation will be components of SBL’s annual meetings in 2013 and 2014. By 2015, Reynolds said, the SQS should be convening independent meetings and issuing its first publications in English and Arabic. Contact: Gabriel Reynolds, 574-631-5138, Reynolds@nd.edu Posted In: Faith Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related October 03, 2022 dCEC to Award 2023 ND Evangelium Vitae Medal to Robert P. George September 22, 2022 In memoriam: Rev. Richard Warner, C.S.C., longtime leader for Notre Dame, Congregation of Holy Cross September 15, 2022 In new book on global Catholicism, Provost John McGreevy explores modern history, current challenges of the Church September 15, 2022 Death penalty abolitionist Sister Helen Prejean to speak at Notre Dame September 14, 2022 Apostolic nuncio to Great Britain to deliver the 2022 Keeley Vatican Lecture For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn