You can bridge religious conflicts.

Shafique Virani

But not without first understanding why the conflicts exist and developing an appreciation of the place that religion holds in the lives of billions of people around the world.  Shafique Virani is just one member of the Department and Centre for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto for whom this is a goal both in and out of the classroom.  “The ability to understand others and ourselves is one of the prerequisites for bridging religious conflicts,” says Virani.

Virani is a scholar of Islamic history, philosophy, Sufism, Shi’ism, and Islamic literatures in Arabic, Persian and South Asian languages.  His most recent publication, The Ismailis in the Middle Ages: A History of Survival, A Search for Salvation, is a study of how the influential Ismaili Muslim community managed to survive its near annihilation by the Mongols under Genghis Khan.   It’s been hailed by numerous individuals and associations as a landmark publication on the subject – the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies called it “an admirably lucid account of the history of both events and doctrines of the period,” and Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research and Technology awarded Virani the Farabi International Award, which recognizes research in the fields of the Humanities and Islamic Studies.

“It was fascinating writing that book,” says Virani, who is also a member of the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga.  “I went from village to village searching for long lost manuscripts and any other information that could help recover the history and thought of a persecuted minority community.  What I discovered was evidence of a vibrant spiritual and intellectual tradition that not only survived, but thrived in the harshest of circumstances.  Today, the small community is spread throughout the world and runs one of the world's largest – if not the largest – group of development agencies supporting numerous programs, including health, education, microfinance, rural development, and many more.  It is dedicated to improving living conditions and opportunities for the poor, without regard to their faith, origin or gender.”

Virani encourages the involvement of students in some of his research by attracting their participation in the development of a variety of teaching materials as part of the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Research Opportunity Program.  He has the largest undergraduate research team at the University of Toronto, giving students the opportunity to get involved with cutting-edge research about religion at the earliest stages of their careers.  “Our team includes musicians, sound engineers, actors, artists, web designers, students with skills in foreign languages, writers and others, all coming together and applying their skills to the study of religion,” says Virani.  Many of his projects allow students to communicate beyond academia and share knowledge about research with a wider audience.  “They helped to create the first-ever book trailer for Oxford University Press for The Ismailis in the Middle Ages, which has been viewed by thousands of people from over 80 countries around the world.”

Virani’s work is just one example of how faculty and students in the Department and Centre for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto are helping to answer the world's questions, by learning to understand the fundamental similarities and differences between the world’s religions and identifying common ground for shared values and aspirations.  Research and teaching in the study of religion at the University of Toronto investigates the scriptures, institutions, teachings, rituals, devotions, literature and moral precepts of all religious traditions.  If you are keen to better understand humankind’s quest for meaning in life, the similarities that draw people of faith together and the differences that often divide them, the study of religion might be for you.