Interfaith Council
Dr. Rashid Omar
Research Scholar of Islamic Studies & Peacebuilding at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame
A. Rashied Omar is a Research Scholar of Islamic Studies and Peacebuilding at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, USA, and Imam of the Claremont Main Road Mosque in Cape Town, South Africa.
He completed a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He also holds a Master’s degree in Peace Studies from the Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame.
Dr. Omar’s research and teaching focuses on the roots of religious violence and the potential of religion for constructive social engagement and interreligious peacebuilding. He has authored a number of academic articles and publications and is co-author of Religion in Public Education: Policy Options for a New South Africa (Cape Town: UCT Press, 1994).
In addition to being a University-based researcher and teacher Dr. Omar puts theory to practice. He teaches a course on Islamic Ethics of War and Peace annually during the Spring semester at the University of Notre Dame, USA. For the remainder of the year, he serves as the Imam of the Claremont Main Road Mosque and field research advisor to Kroc Institute’s Master’s students in Cape Town, South Africa.
