Demand for classes in Islamic Studies, Islam and Middle East has skyrocketed in the United States in the wake of 9/11 attack, the invasion of Afghanistan and the Iraq war. These areas are increasingly considered relevant to global security.



Reacting to the demand by a section of students for more classes in these fields, the educators in the prestigious Stanford University says that the university has a more ambitious interdisciplinary plan to teach about all aspects of a faith followed by one-fifth of the world’s population in 52 nations and 60 languages.



Stanford’s deliberate slow but steady pace is helping it steer clear of controversies faced by other top universities. Harvard, for example, returned a $2.5 million gift after revelations of the Arab donor’s anti-Semitic, anti-American leanings.



In 2003, the Stanford University’s school received a gift of $2.5 million from former Oracle executive Sohaib Abbasi and his wife Sara to establish a new program in Islamic Studies. With another $2 million from Stanford alumna Lysbeth Warren and matching funds from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the program’s core endowment now totals $9 million.



Courtesy: ContraCosta Times. com