JAMAL BELICA

 

        JAMAL ALDIN BELICA



The elder son of Agron Belica, Jamal was born in Westwood, Massachusetts, and has recently celebrated his eighth birthday. He likes learning about science and history and did well in his first two years at school. Now looking forward to beginning the third grade this fall, he enjoys playing and watching soccer and is a member of the local Green Fire soccer team. He also takes pleasure in swimming and in travel. He recently started attending Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes under the guidance of the well known Prof. Roberto Maia at the Boston Brazil Jiu-Jitsu Academy. Besides his parents and Benjamin, Jamal's devout maternal grandmother also plays an important part in his life. In addition to watching over him, she tells him many interesting stories about the customs and life of his Albanian Muslim ancestors in the old country. Jamals ambition is to become a doctor and to help sick people. Perhaps influenced by his father’s literary interests, Jamal has also become an author. In the first grade at school, he wrote a small book entitled Me and My Dad Go to the Mall. Now of an age to begin learning about his religious responsibilities, he will receive instruction from his family and others, including on occasion from noted Islamic professor and scholar, Dr. Mahmoud Ayoub, with whom he has already appeared in videos with about Islam and its teachings.

 

                          JAMAL AL-DIN BELICA WITH


Professor Mahmoud Mustafa Ayoub

(Hartford Seminary and Temple University emeratus)



Mahmoud M. Ayoub was born in South Lebanon. He received his education at the American University of Beirut (BA, Philosophy, 1964), the University of Pennsylvania (M.A., Religious Thought, 1966), and Harvard University (Ph.D., History of Religion, 1975).

From 1988 to 2008, he was a Professor and director of Islamic Studies in the Department of Religion, Temple University, Philadelphia, an Adjunct Professor at the Duncan Black Macdonald Center, Hartford Seminary, Connecticut, a Research Fellow at the Middle East Center, University of Pennsylvania and the Tolson visiting professor at the Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley California. In 1998, Dr. Ayoub helped devise and launch a graduate M.A. level program in Muslim-Christian relations and comparative religion for the Centre for Christian-Muslim Studies, University of Balamand, Lebanon, and since the Spring of 1999, has been its visiting professor. Mahmoud Ayoub has also previously taught at San Diego State University, the University of Toronto, and McGill University

Throughout his academic career, Mahmoud Ayoub has received distinguished awards and scholarships, both for his achievements and researches. Among others, he was a recipient of the Kent Doctoral Fellowship and the Canada Council Fellowship. In 1994-5, he participated in the Fulbright Exchange of Scholars program for Malaysia. In the Spring-Summer of 2000, he undertook a research project on Christian-Muslim relations in Egypt and Lebanon, also on a Fulbright scholarship

Mahmoud Ayoub is the author of a number of books including, Redemptive Suffering in Islam and The Quran and Its Interpreters (vol. 1 & 2). The summer of 2000 saw the release of his two-volume publication, Dirasat fi al-Alaqat al-Masihiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Arabic (Studies in Christian-Muslim Relations). Islam: Faith and History appeared in 2004. In addition, his articles have appeared in books and journals, like, The Muslim World, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Bulletin of the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies (Tokyo, Japan) and Islamochristiana (Rome, Italy), among many others. Prof. Ayoub has also served and is still serving on a number of Advisory and Editorial Boards.

Mahmoud Ayoubs authority in both the scholarship and comparative study of Islam and Muslim-Christian relations, as well as inter-religious dialogue, is demonstrated by the national and international recognition he has received. This is reflected by his numerous local and overseas scholarly engagements. Since 1999, Dr. Ayoub has participated in the United States Department of States program, serving as one of its ambassadors to various parts of the Middle East and S.E. Asia, commenting on American society and institutions, inter-religious dialogue and Islam in America.



                                    (DR. INGRID MATTSON)


Dr. Ingrid Mattson is Professor of Islamic Studies and Director of Islamic Chaplaincy at the Macdonald Center for Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, CT. Dr. Mattson was born in Canada, where she studied Philosophy at the University of Waterloo, Ontario (B.A. '87). From 1987-1988 she lived in Pakistan where she worked with Afghan refugee women. In 1995 she served as advisor to the Afghan delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. During her graduate studies in Chicago, Dr. Mattson was involved with the local Muslim community, serving on the board of directors of Universal School in Bridgeview and as a member of the Interfaith Committee of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. Dr. Mattson earned her Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from the University of Chicago in 1999. Her research is focused on Islamic law and society. Dr. Mattson lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children.



                       (DR. YAHYA M. MICHOT)


From 1981 until 1997, Prof. Yahya M. Michot (Belgium, 1952) was director of the "Centre for Arabic Philosophy" at the University of Louvain (Belgium). He gave courses in Arabic, History of Arabic philosophy, Commentary on Arabic philosophical texts, History of Muslim peoples and Institutions of Islam. His main field of research was the history of Muslim thought, mainly Avicenna (d. 428/1037), his predecessors and his impact on Sunni thought. This led to a growing interest for the theologian Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1328), the time of the Mamlûks and Ilkhâns and modern Islamic movements.


From October 1998 to September 2008, Prof. Y. Michot was a KFAS fellow in Islamic Studies at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and Islamic Centre Lecturer in the Faculty of Theology, Oxford University. He gave introductory courses to Islamic theology and Arabic.


He is member of various scientific societies, and founder and director of the collection “Sagesses musulmanes”. His involvement in inter-religious dialogue has led him to author, among other things, two chapters in “Abraham’s Children: Jews, Christians and Muslims in Conversation”, ed. by R. HARRIES, N. SOLOMON, T. WINTER, London, T&T Clark, 2006.


From April 1995 to June 1998, he was president of the “Conseil Supérieur des Musulmans de Belgique”.















Professor Roberto Maia, 4th degree black belt, the highest ranking professor in New England. Roberto received his rank directly from his cousin Master Carlos Gracie Jr. in 1986.  Since opening his school he has been committed to providing the best training environment, and instruction for his students. With over 30 black belts, and 12 affiliate schools he has created one of the largest support networks in the Northeast area.

Jamal Belica

Professor Roberto Maia

DISCIPLINE

Professor Mahmoud Ayoub with Jamal Belica

WELCOME!

JAMAL BELICA

*  Professor Roberto Maia/Gracie Barra is in no way connected or affiliated with contents on this website