The opportunity to study Islam in a different country than his native Egypt ?among different people and cultures, from different perspectives, and based on different research methodologies? has brought Mohamed Abdelfattah to Hartford Seminary as a Fulbright Scholar.

A graduate of the prestigious Al-Azhar University, Mohamed is studying for a Master of Arts in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations.He will be in Hartford for two years.

He explained his thinking behind his decision to apply to the Seminary:

?I have concentrated my readings on the subjects of orientalism, Islam and the West, the coverage of Islam in the Western mass media and institutions of learning, and post-orientalists? methodologies of studying Islam.”

?At Hartford Seminary I want to deepen my knowledge about these subjects, under the guidance of the prestigious faculty. I also have an interest in Islamism, fundamentalism, and other elements shaping or influencing the relationship between the West and the Islamic world.?

This semester, Mohamed is taking courses in Islamic spirituality, the theological dimensions of the Christian-Muslim encounter, and the Qur?an and its place in Muslim life and society.

Mohamed plans to continue his studies to earn a Ph.D. from the U.S. and embark on a research and teaching career at Al-Azhar and elsewhere.

Mohamed wasa teaching fellow at Al-Azhar University for two years and a translatorwith a major Islamic portalwww.islamweb.netfor four years. For the website, he has translated fatwas, articles and books. He also worked for the Dar Al-Iftaa of Egypt for a few months and as a freelance translator for clients based in Egypt and the international market.

Mohamed will live on campus in Seminary housing.