Interfaith & Interreligious Dialogue

Macdonald Center Offers Resources in Response to War and Rising Anti-Muslim Bigotry

March 12, 2026

With the present war in the Middle East, Americans need accurate information to better understand the region, the Muslim world, and American Iranian relations. HIU's Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations is a trusted resource for community organizations and religious groups, led by a faculty dedicated to interreligious and intercultural dialogue. 

May 30

8:45 am

Spiritualities of Resilience: Aligning with Earth

In a fractured, fracturing world, when human insanity is threatening the health and future of life on the planet, where do we find a deeper, wilder sanity?  What would it mean to root into this sanity, to listen with our bodies and hearts and relationships to the holy in it all and shape our

Macdonald center
Mar 10

12:00 pm

TEACH IN: Perspectives on Iran, Shi'ism, and Warfare in the Middle East

This 90-minute webinar will feature faculty of the Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations of Hartford International University. The webinar will provide an overview of Iranian-American Relations, Shi’a Islam, and and various American Christian, Muslim and Jewish

Chaplaincy

Chaplaincy Student Channels Ancestral Rhythms into Transatlantic Healing Project

March 5, 2026

For Eric Hicks, the path to becoming an HIU eco-chaplaincy student began in the waiting room of a Veterans Administration hospital, where he would chat with veterans to keep himself busy every time he took his relative for a three-hour dialysis treatment. 

Imam Ali Fellow Dr. Noor Zehra Zaidi
Mar 17

12:00 pm

Traces of Zainab, Daughters of ‘Ali: Ritual, Memory, and Place in Shi'a Islam.

In this talk, Dr. Zaidi explores how the figure of Zainab bint ʿAli — the Prophet Muhammad’s granddaughter and daughter of ʿAli ibn Abu Talib — has been made, translated, and embedded across sacred geographies in Syria, Pakistan, and Iraq in the 20th century. Using the concept of the “daughter

Picture of Dr. Cheryl Gilkes
Mar 26

7:00 pm

Mighty Causes Are Calling with Dr. Cheryl Townsend Gilkes

Join us for a fascinating talk on W.E.B. Du Bois and the Sociology of African American WomenThis presentation will explore the ways that W.E.B. Du Bois's recognition of the spiritual forces motivating Black women and shaping their organizations helps to explain their effectiveness as church women

General HIU News

HIU Welcomes Fifth Cohort of PKUMI Indonesian Scholars

February 26, 2026

On Wednesday, Feb. 25, HIU welcomed eight J-1 scholars arriving from Indonesia: Ilham Surya, Muhammad Maulana, Azmi Subhan Robbani, Dinan Kiasati, Daris Salamah, Sinta Hardiyati, Hakiki Hakiki, and Muhamad Lutfi Azizi. They represent the fifth cohort from PTIQ University, Jakarta, to participate in the “Ulama Cadre Education Program of Masjid Istiqlal” (PKUMI) short course.

General HIU News

HIRR Shares Post-Pandemic Congregational Insights on Podcast

February 11, 2026

Allison Norton and Scott Thumma, investigators with HIU’s Hartford Institute for Religion Research, were featured on a recent episode of The Ministry Collaborative podcast, sharing findings from the ongoing study, Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations.

Subscribe to

Join our mailing list

Keep up with all the latest happenings at Hartford International.