St. Bonaventure University

CAIS Events

Upcoming & Recent Events

  • Poster showing Calabria and his new book.Monday, February 14: "The Language of the Taj Mahal."
    A Conversation with Fr. Michael Calabria, O.F.M., on his recent book.
    4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
    Zoom Meeting (click for link).
    Meeting ID: 952 3818 4678. Passcode: 763997.

    The event is presented by the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies and the Department of World Languages and Cultural Studies. Hosted by Dr. Leigh Simone with interview by Dr. Megan Walsh.


  • Nov. 21, 2021: "The Language of Taj Mahal, Islam, Prayer and the Religion of Shah Jahan." A webinar by Fr. Michael Calabria, O.F.M., CAIS Director.
    6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

    The webinar is presented by the Secretariat for Service of Faith, Delhi, and the Islamic Studies Association, Delhi. The event is moderated by Haji Syed Salman Chishty, Chairman of the Chishty Foundation.

  • Oct. 12, 2021: "Listening, Learning, & Healing – Challenging Exclusivism in World Religions," by Fr. Michael Calabria, O.F.M., CAIS Director. Nazareth College Zoom Seminar.

    What is religious exclusivity and how is it like or unlike religious fundamentalism? Do all religions maintain exclusive claims? If so, how can people from different religions relate? What are some of the dangers associated with religious exclusivity? Can exclusivism, like fundamentalism, cause violence? Our seminar speaker, Dr. Michael Calabria, will address these and other issues associated with religious exclusivism.

  • Oct. 6, 2021: Campus screening of docudrama "The Sultan and the Saint"

    This film about Muslim-Christian relations explores the 13th century spiritual exchange between Saint Francis and the Sultan of Egypt and features historical content provided by experts affiliated with St. Bonaventure.

  • Sept. 22, 2021: "Afghanistan: The Inevitable Failure & Unpredictable Consequences of Violence," by Matthew Hoh.
    Watch the Zoom recording

    Matthew Hoh had nearly twelve years’ experience overseas with the United States Marine Corps, Department of Defense and State Department. In 2009, he resigned from his post in Afghanistan with the State Department over the American escalation of the war. His writings have appeared in online and print periodicals such as the Atlanta Journal Constitution, CounterPunch, CNN, Defense News, the Guardian, the Huffington Post, Mother Jones, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. He has been a guest on hundreds of news programs on radio and television networks including the BBC, CBS, CNN, CSPAN, Fox, NBC, MSNBC, & NPR.

Past Events

  • Feb. 13, 2019: Pearls on a String: Islam & Religious Pluralism in Mughal, India
    In this first in a series of events sponsored by the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies Association, Fr. Michael Calabria, O.F.M., CAIS director, illustrated ways in which Muslim leaders incorporated Hindu and Christian elements into court culture.

  • March 13, 2018: Dr. Ruby Lal delivers the annual Mary Devereux Lecture
    In honor of Women’s History Month, St. Bonaventure University hosted Dr. Ruby Lal, professor of South Asian Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., as the keynote speaker for the 2018 Mary Devereux Lecture. Lal discussed her book, “Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan.” In 1611, 34-year-old Nur Jahan, daughter of a Persian noble and widow of a subversive official, became the 20th and favorite wife of the Emperor Jahangir, who ruled the vast Mughal Empire. She was an astute politician as well as a devoted partner. When Jahangir was imprisoned by a rebellious nobleman, the Empress led troops into battle and ultimately rescued him. The only woman to acquire the stature of empress in her male-dominated world, Nur was also a talented dress designer and innovative architect whose work inspired her stepson’s Taj Mahal. This presentation was made possible by the generous contributions of Dr. Adil and Mrs. Jehan Al-Humadi, the Islamic Society of the Southern Tier, and the Visiting Scholars Committee.

  • Nov. 13, 2018: The Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen
    A presentation by peace activist Kathy Kelly, founding director of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, which promotes nonviolent resistance to American interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Nearly three years of Saudi bombings have left millions of Yemeni citizens destitute and starving, and yet most Americans know nothing about this,” said Dr. Christopher Stanley, theology professor at St. Bonaventure. The talk was cosponsored by the Franciscan Center for Social Concern.

  • Sept. 14, 2017: New film screening: "8 Borders, 8 Days"
    In this film by Amanda Bailly, a single mother from Syria shows us the consequences of closing America’s doors to families fleeing war. With no answer to her application for resettlement in the U.S. and every other path to safety closed off, a smuggler’s raft to Europe is her only way out.The film will be followed by comments from Fr. Michael Calabria, director of the SBU Center for Arab and Islamic Studies; Dr. Ibrahim Zabad, a native of Lebanon and assistant professor of political science at St. Bonaventure; and Dr. Tahir Chauhdry, a local physician who has performed volunteer medical service in refugee camps in Greece.

  • Aug. 30, 2017: All-day showing of National Geographic's 'Inside Mecca'
    The video is shown in the McGinley-Carney Ministry Center to coincide with the annual observance of the Hajj

  • Feb. 1, 2017: Campus screening of docudrama "Sultan and the Saint" 
    This new film about Muslim-Christian relations explores the 13th century spiritual exchange between Saint Francis and the Sultan of Egypt and features historical content provided by several experts affiliated with St. Bonaventure.

  • Oct. 5, 2016: Islam in America & Geo-politics 
    A presentation by John L. Esposito, Ph.D., founding director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Walsh School of Foreign Service, at Georgetown University, and author of "Islam: The Straight Path." A professor of Religion & International Affairs and of Islamic Studies at Georgetown, Esposito has served as consultant to the U.S. Department of State and other agencies, European and Asian governments, corporations, universities, and the media worldwide.

  • March 21, 2016: The Movie Mogul, Moses and Muslims
    An exploration of social and historical context for Cecil B. DeMille's movie "The Ten Commandments," including the film's reference to the Qur'an and Muslims.

  • Sept. 23, 2015: Hajj documentary and talk by those who made the pilgrimage
    Each year more than two million Muslims from around the world make the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. We commemorated this year's event, occurring the week of Sept. 21, by presenting a National Geographic documentary on the Hajj, followed by a presentation by members of the St. Bonaventure Muslim community, who shared their experiences of making the Haj.

  • Feb. 17, 2015: A discussion of Islamophobia 
    This program, the fourth discussion in the Residential Life Civil Dialogue Series, featured a conversation about Islamophobia with Fr. Michael Calabria, O.F.M., Ph.D., director of the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies, and SBU student Amina Golden-Arabaty.
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