A Disciples minister who serves as the top administrator at a Canadian theological college will help introduce a Muslim studies certificate program next semester. Mark Toulouse, former professor of American religious history at Brite Divinity School, is now principal of Emmanuel College in Toronto, where the Islamic studies program will be launched to meet the needs of the growing Muslim community there. Emmanuel College is located on the campus of the University of Toronto.
The Muslim studies program is designed to focus on such areas as Muslims in Canada, Islamic law, interfaith relations, and professional counseling. The program will offer a continuing education certificate that will attempt to meet the needs of Muslim clerics, particularly in the areas of religious leadership, chaplaincy and pastoral care. Plans are also on tap to introduce a Muslim track for a Master of Pastoral Studies program, and the eventual creation of a new Centre for Islamic Studies. To read an interview with Toulouse about the new education program, visit: www.disciples.org/tabid/677/Default.aspx
