Stanford receives $9 million for Islamic Studies program

Society Religion & Philosophy
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Irem pointed out this article to me. She was too busy to post it :slight_smile:

A Pakistani couple donated $2.5 million, which has to be the largest donation to a educational insitute by a Pakistani!

**Stanford plans program, professorship, thanks to huge gifts from alumna, Atherton couple **

By Peter Delevett
Mercury News

Stanford University has received $9 million to endow a program and professorship in Islamic studies – gifts that could position the school to become a powerhouse in the study of the world’s second-largest faith.

The field of Islamic studies has attracted more interest, research and students since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

In the last two years, student demand for classes on Islamic religion, culture, history and languages has soared. And many universities, including Stanford, have not been able to keep pace.

Retired Oracle executive Sohaib Abbasi and his wife, Sara, hope to change that, Sohaib Abbasi said. The Atherton residents, who were born in Pakistan, donated $2.5 million to establish the Islamic studies program, Stanford announced Friday.

In addition, Stanford alumna Lysbeth Warren gave $2 million to endow a new Islamic studies professorship. Both gifts were matched by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, bringing the total to $9 million.

Abbasi said he and his wife made the gift ``to ensure this becomes the premier program of Islamic studies in North America.‘’

The money enables Stanford to really jump-start and develop a major program,'' said John Esposito, founding director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University. You don’t have anything like that between the East Coast all the way over to the West Coast.‘’

Alan Godlas, a religion professor at the University of Georgia who runs a prominent Islamic studies Web site, said there are fewer than a dozen endowed professorships in the discipline across the United States.

In part, he said, that’s because Muslims have not donated to higher education to the extent that people of other faiths have.

``Now, I think, after 9/11, American Muslims realized that unless they endow Islamic studies programs, Islamic education is going to be in the hands of people abroad who have little understanding of the importance of developing a progressive Islam,‘’ Godlas said.

An estimated 7 million of the world’s more than 1 billion Muslims live in the United States, according to a Georgetown survey.

Abbasi said the Bay Area is home to one of the country’s largest communities of Muslims.

Robert Gregg, a Stanford religious studies professor who will direct the new program, said the gifts from Warren and the Abbasis will secure funding for graduate students; beef up offerings in Arabic and other languages widely spoken in the Muslim world; and strengthen Stanford’s library.

While Stanford is noted for its archive of modern Middle Eastern writings, Godlas said, it lags behind the University of California-Berkeley when it comes to archives of classical Arabic and Persian texts.

The program endowment also will allow Stanford to sponsor visiting scholars, conferences and lectures. Courses from a range of disciplines, including history, religion, law and anthropology, will be woven into the new program, Gregg said.

Sohaib Abbasi said he and his wife began discussions with Stanford a year ago, after a friend introduced them to Sharon Long, dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences.

Abbasi joined Oracle in 1982 when it was a start-up with 30 workers.

By the time he retired in March, the software giant boasted 42,000 employees and yearly revenues of $9.5 billion.

Sara Abbasi is on the executive board of Developments in Literacy, an international non-profit that has built 200 schools in Pakistan since 1997.

The couple previously endowed a computer science professorship and fellowship at the University of Illinois-Champaign-Urbana, Sohaib’s alma mater.

The Stanford donation is the couple’s largest gift to date, and both will continue to help raise money for the program.

``We both feel very privileged to be a part of this,‘’ Sohaib Abbasi said.

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thanks for posting :slight_smile:

mashallah this is such great news :k:

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Found this info on the net about this generous Pakistani couple…mashallah…

[From the University of Illinois Urbana Champaigne website]
http://www.cs.uiuc.edu/news/alumni/jan01/abb.html

Sohaib Abbasi, BS 78, MS 80, and his wife, Sara, have established the Sohaib and Sara Abbasi Professorship and the Sohaib and Sara Abbasi Fellowship in the Department of Computer Science. The endowed faculty position will enable the department to maintain its stature as one of the nation’s premiere departments and give students the opportunity to learn from a world-renown computer scientist and educator. The fellowship is intended to encourage exceptional Pakistani students to attend graduate school in computer science and is an expression of the Abbasis’s commitment to foster talented Pakistanis in the computer field as well as to help Pakistan’s technological growth.

Abbasi is senior vice president of the Tools Product Division of Oracle Corp., responsible for product design, development, and marketing, which includes application development tools, groupware and collaboration tools, end user query tools, and new media tools. Abbasi was an early researcher of relational databases and a student of Professor Geneva Belford, who advised his MS thesis. In 1982, after two years at Professional Computer Resources in Oak Brook, Ill., where he developed financial accounting applications for IBM’s System/38, he joined Relational Software Inc., the company that became Oracle. He co-developed SQL*Forms Version 1 (now part of Developer/2000, Oracle’s flagship application development tool) and has been managing the tools group ever since.

Abbasi has visited the department several times and delivered the inaugural Distinguished Entrepreneur Lecture in 1998. As advocates for a stronger Illinois presence in Silicon Valley, the Abbasis and U of I president James J. Stukel co-hosted a roundtable reception for technology executives that same year. The Abbasis have three children and live in Atherton, Calif.

http://www.uif.uillinois.edu/pages/NewsPage.aspx?NID=553

Couple’s Gift Funds Professorship, Fellowship in Computer Science at UIUC

Sohaib Abbasi came to Illinois from Pakistan, a country that focused on traditional engineering disciplines but offered little relative to computer science at that time. During his senior year at Illinois, he acquired an interest in relational databases that would develop into a career making him one of the top leaders in the field of information technology.

In 1982, Abbasi joined a 30-person start-up then known as Relational Software, Inc. to establish their field sales organization in the Midwest. That fledgling company became Oracle Corporation and Abbasi became their senior vice president of the Tools Development and Education divisions. He was manager of technical support, responsible for both pre-sales and post-sales technical support, and was a pioneer in the development and use of relationship databases, which is the basis for Oracle software products. He was also the co-developer of SQL Forms, which is now part of Internet Developer Suite, Oracle’s flagship tools suite. Prior to joining Oracle, Abbasi developed financial modeling software for IBM minicomputers.

Abbasi retired from Oracle in February 2003 as senior vice president of the corporation’s tools division and of Oracle University.** A gift from this recently retired Oracle Corporation executive and his wife Sara, created the Sohaib and Sara Abbasi Computer Science Professorship and the Sohaib and Sara Abbasi Computer Science Fellowship in the College of Engineering in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.**

The Abbasi Professor will be an outstanding computer scientist who has demonstrated ability and promise in research and dedication to teaching. “Endowed faculty positions are essential for recruiting and retaining the best faculty. We are in the process of recruiting a top external candidate to this position. We expect that we shall be able to enhance the quality of our research and education in Information Systems by taking advantage of this professorship,” said Marc Snir, Faiman Muroga Professor and head of the Department of Computer Science.

The Abbasi Fellowship enables the Department of Computer Science to annually award support for a master’s or doctoral student with an excellent record, with preference to Pakistani students. The first Abbasi Fellow, Mumtaz Ahmad, was chosen last year and the Abbasis met him on campus.

“We are grateful to Sohaib Abbasi for his contribution of an endowed professorship and a fellowship,” said Snir.

Abbasi is an active supporter of his alma mater; he led other Bay Area businesspeople and alumni in the formation of the University of Illinois Silicon Valley Round Table, encouraged Oracle to help fund Cyberfest on the Urbana-Champaign campus, and has been a guest speaker for a seminar series in the Department of Computer Science.

[From the Oracle website]
http://otn.oracle.com/oramag/oracle/02-jan/o12execs.html
SOHAIB ABBASI
Senior Vice President, Tools Development and Education Divisions

In 1982, a young man named Sohaib Abbasi was hired as the first sales consultant for a database company then known as Relational Software, Inc. Abbasi was charged with launching a midwestern sales organization covering 13 states. He quickly realized that high-quality tools were critical to demonstrate the value of relational databases to prospective customers, who were often skeptical of the fledgling company and its software. **Today Relational Software is, of course, Oracle Corporation, and Sohaib Abbasi is the senior vice president of Oracle’s Tools Development and Education divisions. **

“Enterprises are automating all business transactions and, as a result, are capturing more business data than ever before,” says Abbasi. “Transforming the business data into business intelligence enables enterprises to dramatically improve business results. Oracle is the leading supplier of information management technology, including the database, application server, and tools.”

Tools Development includes the e-business portal, business-intelligence tools, application-development tools, and pharmaceutical and internet learning applications. Developers use Oracle Tools to build customized software applications that automate business flows and deliver information.

“Oracle9i Developer Suite and Oracle9i Application Server allow developers to develop and deploy complete e-business applications,” says Abbasi. “Developers can rapidly build world-class Web sites and applications to transact business, provide business intelligence, and deliver personalized enterprise portals. No other vendor is even close to delivering such a complete and integrated development and deployment platform.”

The Oracle Education division provides training for customers, partners, and employees. “Oracle University is the second largest provider of information-technology training in the world,” says Abbasi. “Today, Oracle University delivers the complete Oracle curriculum in classrooms around the world. The Oracle Learning Network is fast becoming one of the largest online IT training communities in the world.”
**
Before joining Oracle, Abbasi developed financial modeling software for IBM minicomputers. He graduated with honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1980, where he earned both a BS and an MS degree in computer science.
**

Info on the wife Sara Abbasi…
**
Sara Abbasi is in charge of San Francisco DIL Chapter - DIL is a Pakistani organisation and stands for Developments In Literacy - They have chapters in San Francisco, New York, Washington, Chicago, Houston and Singapore.

DIL’s primary goal is to change the lives of these children by educating them. To achieve its goals, DIL has opened 185 primary schools for children throughout Pakistan. In less than five years, DIL has already changed the lives of over 8,000 children.**

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That’s awesome :k: :k: :k:

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Amazing what a bit of money can do.

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Within the American society, these are our role models. While less them a handful are willing to donate to this amount, or far less then this, we all can partner with this family and donate to similar causes that promote Pakistani-American links on various levels. Donations don't mean that we have to give till it hurts. Try giving less then one time's lunch money once a month to a worthy cause like this..... most can't .... it hurts too much.

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Re: Stanford receives $9 million for Islamic Studies program

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by 5Abi: *
A Pakistani couple donated $2.5 million, which has to be the largest donation to a educational insitute by a Pakistani!

Stanford University has received $9 million to endow a program and professorship in Islamic studies -- gifts that could position the school to become a powerhouse in the study of the world's second-largest faith.
[/QUOTE]

What a waste of money. How many schools in Pakistan could have been financed with this amount of money.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by hskhan: *
Amazing what a bit of money can do.
[/QUOTE]

its not just a bit of money, its a will to part with that money to do something that one believes in or finds interesting.

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by shawaiz: *
What a waste of money. How many schools in Pakistan could have been financed with this amount of money.
[/QUOTE]

well #1 it appears that Mrs ASbbasi is with an organization helping set up schools in Pakistan. Additionally, both are required, there is a def need for better education on Islamis ctudies in top educational institutions here, as well as having schools in Pakistan.

but when u start building schools, someone else may say what a waste, it could have fed this many people, or what a waste you could have built so many masjids..

everyone has their own vision, as long as it is striving to make a positive impact, let people do what they are doing.

btw since it appears you have an interest in providing better educational facilities in pakistan, look up Human Development Foundation, a group that I have worked with for some time. This is what the group does among other things

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Fraudz: *

but when u start building schools, someone else may say what a waste, it could have fed this many people, or what a waste you could have built so many masjids..

everyone has their own vision, as long as it is striving to make a positive impact, let people do what they are doing.

[/QUOTE]

It is my opinion, donating such a huge amount of money to a rich american university whereas the masses in Pakistan are illiterate is to me senseless. Nevertheless, it's their money and they can do with their money whatever they want.

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Wiating to see the results :)

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[QUOTE]
Originally posted by shawaiz: *
...* it's their money and they can do with their money whatever they want.**
[/QUOTE]
yeah right...

A scholar is not equivalent to thousands of illiterate!
If in Pakistan they are illiterate then they can’t get literacy either by stopping Stanford their financial support for Islamic Studies!
Just wait n see the result!

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Everyone has their own priorities and way of viewing and tackling the issues. Lets see what Mr Shawaiz & Co are doing, or plan to do, to “fund the schools” or “help the illiterate masses” in Pakistan.

Stanford is a premiere educational institute in the US. I would say having a chair on Islamic studies will go a long way to offer some of the brightest students in the world a chance to study the religion and understand it. Well done, Mr & Mrs Abbasi. :k:

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I don’t think the brightest study religion they prefer to study physics or chemistry, only dumbest study religion. Only this idea of studying islam at Stanford is ridiculous to me.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by shawaiz: *

I don't think the brightest study religion they prefer to study physics or chemistry, only dumbest study religion. Only this idea of studying islam at Stanford is ridiculous to me.
[/QUOTE]
Shawaiz saheb... Have you ever heard the word "elective"? Your gross stereo-typing is already giving me a pretty good idea. :)

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Faisal, contact Mr and Mrs Abbasi and let them know about it, and ask them to support 5 millions in Pakistan,
well...we will see another reasom from 'Shawaiz saheb' then for not funding Pakistan either :)

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The rich saudis have already spent billions of dollar on this "great" cause but up till now it didn't do anything good to humanity. Let's see how these $9 million result the greatest boon that humanity has ever had.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Faisal: *
Shawaiz saheb... Have you ever heard the word "elective"? Your gross stereo-typing is already giving me a pretty good idea. :)
[/QUOTE]

well, do you want to say those students who secure 80% percent or above marks choose to study islamiat or islamic science or whatever it is called, well I have never met such a single student in my life, have you?

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Shawaiz.. since you side-stepped the question, let me repeat.. have you ever heard the word "elective"? Let me make it simple... a student in a university can pursue a degree in Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, business etc, and at the same time, can take an elective like "Religion" as part of his or her coursework. All students take electives, and many science majors do take humanities and liberal arts electives. That does not impact his core major. Get it? :)

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i totally support the initiative abbasis have taken to provide american muslims with a top class program in islamic studies ... my only concern is the choice of school ... in my opinion, stanford wasnt the best school for this endowment ... indeed its an amazing school but the location and admission standards would restrict the program to a handful of american muslims (no bay area isnt the best possible location)... i would have preferred abbasis to make this gift to a large public university in a setting with considerable muslim population in the surrounding areas ... such as his own college UIUC (enough muslims living in and around chicago area couldve availed this opportunity) or UT-Austin (well, houston is nearby) or somewhere in NY/NJ area.

for those waiting for results, i think they wouldnt be great since the program (or stanford, frankly) will never be within reach of muslim community ... feel free to disagree. :)

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Rightly said, Fraudia. A good deed is done by a Pakistan in the name of Islam in a country that is on a roll to brand Muslims as terrorists and Islam as the creed that openly and unabashedly teaches and promotes the killings of innocents where they can be found. This mindset is propagated daily on the airwaves to which most Muslims do not listen to. In the absence of absolute silence by Muslims in America to counter the accusations, initiatives like these help to shed light on the true Islam and not the basterdized version created by the fanatics. This initiative must be looked at within the realm of the American socio-politico-religious light. For the millions of Muslims who are living in the U.S., our reality is different… we are here to stay and have to defend ourselves and Islam against the daily onslaught against us just like those Muslims living in India.

The funding to Standfor goes far beyond the mere creation of the study of Islam. It creates a huge political and public relations’ clout for Muslims.

Sure, there are needs of Muslims around the world but no one person can solve world hunger. It will take hundreds of millions of us to come forward and extend an hand of support. The money given by Mr. Abbasi can also, similarly, help but far greater numbre of people in Bangladesh.

Charity is charity and given form the heart. It is a very painful thing to part with money for no reason. Most of us don’t do that willingly.

As the original posting says:
**Sara Abbasi is in charge of San Francisco DIL Chapter - DIL is a Pakistani organisation and stands for Developments In Literacy - They have chapters in San Francisco, New York, Washington, Chicago, Houston and Singapore.

DIL’s primary goal is to change the lives of these children by educating them. To achieve its goals, DIL has opened 185 primary schools for children throughout Pakistan. In less than five years, DIL has already changed the lives of over 8,000 children.**

So, alongside the Human Development Foundation (Yes! Pakistan), you can become part of DIL, Developements in Literacy, Inc. (http://www.4dil.org/welcome.htm), that Mrs. Abbasi is member of, to promote education in Pakistan. Don’t have the time to donate? Then why not donate $1.00 once a month? Now, let’s appreciate, if we can, the work the Abbasis are doing in Pakistan and partner with them in their vision and dream for Pakistan’s downtrodden. Can we?