Event Raises Funds for Imam Ali Library & Research Center, Post Doc

Ten years after the launch of the Imam Ali Chair for Shi'a Studies and Dialogue among Islamic Legal Schools at Hartford International University, a group of donors, academics, and friends came together on June 8 to boost the next phase of the initiative.

In remarks at the Riverdale Yacht Club in Bronx, NY, Deena Grant, HIU's Academic Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs, called the establishment of the Imam Ali Library & Research Center a "natural progression" of HIU's work.

"The particularities of Islam have been a foundation of our teaching, research, and public engagement for decades," Dr. Grant said. "Since its establishment, the Shi'a Chair and its activities have become an integral part of HIU's distinctiveness, especially through the work of Dr. Hossein Kamaly, the third holder of this chair."

Dr. Mehdi Kamzi, founder of the Auliya Council of North America, has been a driving force in establishing the Imam Ali Library & Research Center in Mahopac, NY. He organized the fundraising dinner to encourage continued support of the center's activities.

Dr. Kamzi joked that he had promised his family not to take on any more projects but couldn't resist taking on this new one. He thanked many of those present for donating books and other materials to the library, which operates with an independent Board of Governors chaired by Dr. Kamaly, who also holds the position of Executive Director.

The library already has a thousand print books with a goal of 10,000, as well as an extensive digital library and online access to HIU's 80,000 volume library. In addition to research, a post-doctoral fellowship will be established for research in Islam and related subjects under Dr. Kamaly's direction. At Sunday's event, Dr. Kamaly said he had received 65 inquiries from 12 different countries. A fellow will be named within the coming months.

Dr. Kamaly made a special point to thank the original funders of the Imam Ali chair represented at the event by Dr. Hassnain Walji. He also thanked Dr. Kamzi for his "unwavering dedication and friendship."