WELCOME
WELCOME
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~Center
for Arab and Islamic Studies
~Department of Theology and Religious Studies
~Department of Philosophy
~Africana Studies
~Graduate Liberal Arts Studies
~International
Studies
800 Lancaster Avenue
Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085
Shams C. Inati is a specialist in Islamic philosophy and theology with particular emphasis on Ibn Sina (Avicenna), metaphysics, and the problem of evil. She is also a poetess and a song writer, a public speaker and an advocate of human rights and world peace based on justice.
Spread knowledge so that you may increase tolerance, love, justice, and peace; for ignorance is the source of their contraries.
Special Events Organized Since 1997
Consultation and Speaking Topics
shams.inati@villanova.edu
Office
St. Augustine Center for the Liberal Arts, Room 125
Office Hours: Tues & Thurs 11:30 - 12:30
Office phone
610-519-7301
Doctor of Philosophy, Philosophy, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1979.
Master of Arts, Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin, 1974.
Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy and History, American University of Beirut, 1968.
Positions:
Villanova University
Professor, Department of Theology and Religious Studies/Center for Arab and Islamic Studies/Department of Philosophy (granted 2001).
Associate Professor, Department of Theology and Religious Studies/Center for Arab and Islamic Studies/Department of Philosophy (granted 1991).
Assistant Professor, Department of Theology and Religious Studies/Center for Arab and Islamic Studies/Department of Philosophy (granted 1987).
Director of the Villanova Al al-Bayt Arabic Summer Program in Jordan, International Studies/Center for Arab and Islamic Studies (1997-).
University of Pennsylvania
Research Fellow, Center for Middle East Studies (1992-).
Lecturer, Department of Oriental Studies/Center for Middle East Studies (1988-1989).
Lecturer, Department of Philosophy/Department of Religion/Center for Middle East Studies; Fellow, Middle East Research Institute (1984-1986).
Andrew Mellon Fellow, Department of Philosophy (1983-1984).
SUNY, Buffalo
Adjunct Assistant Professor and director of an NEH research grant, Department of Philosophy (1979-1983).
Honors, Awards and Fellowships:
Fullbright Scholar at Balamand University, 2003 - 2004.
Presenter of the 33rd Walter Powell Distinguished Lecture Series in Philosophy at Linfield College, Spring 2003.
Visiting scholar at the Royal Jordanian Institute for Interfaith Studies, Summer 1999.
Joint recipient of U.S. Department of Defense grant (with Dr. Elsayed Omran), for a series of seminars on the Arab world today conducted in Turkey and Italy, Spring 1993.
Andrew Mellon Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, September 1983 - September 1984.
Recipient of the Endowment for the Humanities Grant at SUNY Buffalo, September 1, 1979 - September 30, 1982.
SUNY Intercampus Fellow, September 1977 - June 1978.
Charles Malik's Fellow, January 1973 - January 1974.
2. Papers and Sections in Books:
"Baghdad in the Golden Age: A Historical Tour," Iraq: Its History, People, and Politics, (Prometheus Books, Buffalo, 2003).
"The Iraqi Christian Community," Iraq: Its History, People, and Politics, (Prometheus Books, Buffalo, 2003).
"Reconciliation of the Opinions of the Two Sages, Spiritual Plato and Aristotle / Abu Nasr al-Farabi," Anthology of Philosophy in Persia, eds. S. H. Nasr and M. A. Razavi (Oxford University Press, London,1999), Vol. 1, pp. 110-118.
"Remarks and Admonitions: Creation Ex Nihilo and Immediate Creation / Ibn Sina," Anthology of Philosophy in Persia, Vol. 1, eds. S. H. Nasr and M. A. Razavi (Oxford University Press, London, 1999), pp. 218-226.
"The Healing: On Theodicy and Providence / Ibn Sina," Anthology of Philosophy in Persia, eds. S. H. Nasr and M. A. Razavi (Oxford University Press, London, 1999), Vol. 1, pp. 226-237.
"Remarks and Admonitions, On Theodicy and Providence / Ibn Sina," Anthology of Philosophy in Persia, eds. S. H. Nasr and M. A. Razavi (Oxford University Press, London, 1999), Vol. 1, pp. 237-241.
"On the Stations of the Knowers / Ibn Sina," Anthology of Philosophy in Persia, eds. S. H. Nasr and M. A. Razavi (Oxford University Press, London, 1999), Vol. 1, pp. 251-259.
"Transformation of Education: Will It Lead to Integration?" AAUG, Vol. 21, no. 1 (1999), pp. 55-68.
"Ibn Sina's Concept of Pleasure," Periodica Islamica, Vol. 6, no. 2 (1996), pp. 35-44.
"Can Islamic Philosophy Accommodate the Islamic Concept of History?" Journal of Islamic History, Vol. 1, nos. 3-4 (1996), pp. 481-489; reprinted in Islamic Studies Quarterly, Vol. 41, no. 2 (1997), pp. 154-162.
"Ibn Sina," History of Islamic Philosophy, eds. O. Leaman and S. H. Nasr (Routledge, London, 1995), pp. 231-246.
"Arabic Logic," History of Islamic Philosophy, eds. O. Leaman and S. H. Nasr (Routledge, London, 1995), pp. 802-823.
"Philosophy and Literature," in collaboration with Elsayed Omran, in History of Islamic Philosophy, eds. O. Leaman and S. H. Nasr (Routledge, London, 1995), pp. 886-897.
“The Relevance of Happiness to Eternal Existence: Some Reflections on Ibn Sina's View," Digest of Middle East Studies, Vol. 4, no. 3 (1995), pp. 12-23.
“Al-Junayd on Unification and Its Stages: A Critical Examination," in collaboration with Elsayed Omran, Digest of Middle East Studies, Vol. 3, no. 3 (1994), pp. 23-35.
"Ibn Baja's Philosophical Ideal," Spain and the Americas, Proceedings of Beresit II (Toledo,1993), pp. 271-280.
“Providence as Understood by Plotinus," Faculty of Education Journal , Vol. 13 (1990), pp. 57-70.
“An Examination of Ibn Sina's Theodicy: Dissolving the Problem of Evil," The New Scholasticism, Vol. 58, no.2, (1984), pp. 170-186.
3. Sections Contributed to Dictionaries and Encyclopedias since 1998:
“Determinism, Theological,” in Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2nd edition (Macmillan Reference USA, New York, 2005), Vol. 1. pp. ?
“George F. Hourani,” Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers (Thoemmes Press, London, 2004).
"Wajib al-Wujud," Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World (Macmillan Reference USA, New York, 2003).
"Ibn Sina," Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World (Macmillan Reference USA, New York, 2003).
"Yahya Ibn Adi," Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Routledge, London, 1998).
"Ibn Tufayl," Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Routledge, London, 1998).
"Islamic Epistemology," Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Routledge, London, 1998).
"The Soul in Islamic Philosophy," Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Routledge, London, 1998).
"Ibn ar-Rawandi," Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Routledge, London, 1998).
"Ibn Baja," Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Routledge, London, 1998).
4. Other Publications since 1995:
“How Much Evil?” Vital Theology (2006), Vol.3, no.7, pp. 6-7.
"Reflections on Compassion in Islam," Occasional Papers, Vol. 1, Villanova Office of Mission Effectiveness, 2000.
"The Lebanese Intellectual Renaissance," al-Muhajir, 1995.
"The Pen Bond," al-Muhajir, 1995.
"The Andalusian League," al-Muhajir, 1995.
"The Impact of Lebanese Intellectualism in America," al-Muhajir, 1995.
Islam: The Basics (Mason Crest, Broomall, 2004).
Who Are the Muslims? (Mason Crest, Broomall, 2004).
What Muslims Think and How They Live (Mason Crest, Broomall, 2004).
Heroes and Holy Places (Mason Crest, Broomall, 2004).
American Encounter with Islam (Mason Crest, Broomall, 2004).
Islam, Christianity, and Judaism (Mason Crest, Broomall, 2004).
Contemporary Islamic movements in Lebanon
The concept of evil in John of Damascus
The life to come in Mulla Sadra's philosophy
The concept of justice in Islam
Abu Hayyan at-Tawhidi
The Physics and Metaphysics of Ibn Sina,
Remarks and Admonitions
The Problem of Evil
Introduction to Islam
Islamic Philosophy and Theology
Islamic Political Thought
History of Islamic Philosophy
Introduction to Philosophy
Ibn Sina
The Concept of Happiness in Islamic Philosophy
Islamic Mysticism
"Islam and the West," A symposium that brought together Middle Eastern religious scholars and State Department officials, Villanova University, 2007.
"Egypt: ‘The Mother of the World’" (Arab cultural day), 2001.
"The Struggle for Justice the Hope for Peace: A Symposium on the Future of Two Peoples in the Holy Land," 2000.
"Iraq: A Symposium on the History, People and Politics," 1999.
"Morocco" (Arab cultural day), 1999.
"Lebanon Today: A Symposium on Postwar Lebanon," 1997.
"Lebanon and Palestine: Their Cultural Heritage" (Arab cultural day), 1997.
"The Influence of Arabic Music on Spanish Melody" (Lecture with Performance), 1997.
Reading and writing poetry. Arabic songwriting. Laughing and making others laugh. Singing, dancing and listening to music. Hiking. Having close friendships. Cooking and inventing new dishes. Entertaining. Raising funds for Lebanese schools and universities. Supporting world peace based on justice and resisting human rights violations.
"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor" (Archbishop Desmond Tutu).
Make every effort to improve what can be improved; accept what cannot be improved and move on.
View the past as a source of learning and the future as a source of hope.
Never despair over bad conditions or become over-confident about good ones; nothing remains the same.
Always have a long view of things and remember that, in time, things are viewed differently.
Look for humor even in the most tragic things; it is only by laughing at things that you may be able to overcome them.
Find comfort in that you and your preoccupations are almost nothing in terms of the universe and eternity.
Resort to the art of close friendship if you ever feel weakened; strength lies in solidarity.
Seek mutual love with those you respect. Nothing is more enjoyable in life than a sense of loving and being loved by those we respect.
Encourage kindness in the world by recognizing it and rewarding it. Discourage unkindness by suppressing it and standing firmly in its way.
Make it your objective to achieve and maintain a sense of self-worth through self-fulfillment.
Do what you know is right even if the world stands against you. A human being comes and goes; the only value one has in the long run is in the positive trace that one leaves on the course of life.
Google News Sources
| Arab/Islamic philosophy
Arab/Islamic civilization Arab society and culture Arab/Islamic history Western misperceptions of Islam The Islamic position on war and peace The Islamic concept of justice |
Women in Islam
Islamic sects Islam and politics Islam and modernity Christianity in the Arab world The problem of evil Theories of value in Islam |
If you have any comments or questions about Dr. Inati's research, teaching or speaking availability please send email.
Contents
Special Events Organized Since 1997
Consultation and Speaking
Topics
