Ramadan Kareem Message

An email message sent to the campus community on March 10, 2024:

Dear Assumption Community,

As Ramadan begins at sundown tonight, please join me in wishing Assumption’s many Muslim students, colleagues, and alumni a Ramadan Kareem. We’re grateful for your many contributions to the Assumption community.

It’s also a fitting time to recall the influence that Islamic medieval philosophy, among many other contributions of Islamic scholars, has had on the tradition of Catholic liberal education. Islamic philosophers like Abu Nasr Muhammad al-Farabi in the 9th and 10th centuries and Ibn Rushd (Averroes) in the 12th century played a crucial role in recovering the wisdom of the ancients, especially Plato and Aristotle. That recovered human wisdom greatly shaped the development of Christian and Jewish thought in the Middle Ages. Al-Farabi was a particular influence on Maimonides, who in turn was among the philosophers St. Thomas Aquinas treated in his writings.

I am grateful for the many Muslim members of our extended Assumption family. Together, we share a common purpose: the pursuit of truth in the company of friends. Thank you for the rich perspectives you bring to that pursuit and for being such integral members of our community of friends.

Sincerely,

Greg Weiner, Ph.D.
President