Fostering Connections

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Overview

Fostering Connections between Bioscience and Theology for Medical Track Muslim Students is a new project that II&M is launching in 2022 with the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation (JTF). We aim to help teachers and students gain conceptual literacy on some critical topics at the intersection between science and theology.

As Muslim students explore the biosciences, they may encounter difficult questions and wonder how their religious identity intersects with scientific discoveries: Does affirming scientific facts compromise religious beliefs? Does religion explain scientific findings? How can they navigate these domains constructively? We believe that conflicts are not inevitable, and that knowledge integration is possible and can shape stable professional identities in the future.

The project activities include:

Seminar series for Muslim high school juniors and seniors.
Designing of curriculum and instructional materials.
Implementation of professional workshops for teachers and college instructors.
Student essays and podcast

Program Approach

Our team consisting of theologians, scientists and educators will conduct a series of seminars that are specifically designed for Muslim high school seniors using a multimodal learning approach. Subsequently, we will develop teaching modules for teachers/instructors. The seminar topics are:

What do we know and how do we know it? Reasoning Exercises in Religion and Science.
Human Evolution and God’s Special Creation.
What does it mean to be Human? Neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence, and Human Nature.
Human Enhancement and Transhumanism: Are we changing / should we change our being?
Are We Programmed or Do We Have Free Will? Discussions on Fate and Genetic Determinism.
Extraterrestrial Beings and Human Uniqueness: What does Science & Theology Tell us?
Knowledge Cafes and Harvest: Panel Presentations & Moderated Discussions.

Stakeholders/Partners

This program is led by Dr Aasim Padela from the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) as the Project Leader, in collaboration with International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and Initiative on Islam and Medicine (II&M). Other partners include Darul Qasim, Islamic Schools League of America (ISLA) and High-Quality Educational Consulting (HQEC).
The seminar series will be run in collaboration with Islamic High Schools across Chicagoland and Milwaukee that include the Muslim Community Center (MCC) Academy, Islamic Foundation School, College Preparatory School of America and Salam School.