The Maryam Institute — A Women's Program in Theology, Ethics & Gender

The idea

God is the light of the heavens and the earth. The Light Verse · Qur'an 24:35

A seminar, not a sermon

Serious study, taken on women's terms.

Too often, the deep questions of faith — about God, justice, the self, and the good life — are handed to women already answered. The Maryam Institute does the opposite. You read the primary sources yourself, you argue with them, and you bring your own questions to the table.

Every course is small and discussion-led. The work is rigorous, drawing on the tools of the academy, but the room is warm, plural, and built for women who are returning to study or arriving for the first time. No prior degree is required — only curiosity and the willingness to read closely.

The curriculum

Six courses, one shared table.

Take them as a sequence or choose the ones that call to you. Each runs a single term and meets weekly, in person at City of Knowledge in Dallas.

01

Feminist Readings of Sacred Texts

Approaches to scripture that center women's questions and recover the women's voices already inside the tradition.

Foundational12 weeks

02

Foundations of Islamic Theology

The core debates of kalām — God, revelation, free will, and justice — read directly from the primary sources.

Core12 weeks

03

Ethics for a Complicated World

How classical and modern moral thought meets real dilemmas — in work, family, money, and public life.

Applied10 weeks

04

Women & Gender in Religious Tradition

How gender has been argued, lived, and contested across the history of the tradition — and what is still open.

Seminar10 weeks

05

Karbala & the Ethics of Witness

The moral legacy of Ashura, with the witness of Sayyidah Zaynab at its center — testimony, courage, and standing for justice.

Sacred history8 weeks

06

Voices of Women in Scripture

Close study of the women of the sacred narratives — Maryam, Hajar, Khadijah, Fatimah — as figures of agency, learning, and authority.

Capstone8 weeks

Your instructor

Dr. Mahjabeen Dhala

Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies · Graduate Theological Union

Dr. Dhala directs the Madrassah–Midrasha Program at the Graduate Theological Union, an interreligious initiative she built to bring Muslim and Jewish communities into genuine dialogue. She teaches Islamic theology, ethics, and women & gender studies, and earned her PhD in Islamic Studies from the GTU in 2020.

Over more than six years at the Center for Islamic Studies, she has designed and led curricula specifically for adult learners, blending careful scholarship with pedagogy that keeps people engaged. Her published research ranges across sacred texts, Shia studies, and women's empowerment — and all of it is grounded in a commitment to interfaith understanding and social justice.

PhD, Islamic Studies (2020) Director, Madrassah–Midrasha 6+ years teaching adults Published scholar

How to join

Three steps to your seat.

Cohorts are small and intentional, so the process is short and human — no test scores, no transcripts.

01

Apply

A short written application — a few paragraphs on what draws you to the study. No prior degree required.

02

Meet your cohort

We keep each group to twelve so the discussion stays real and every voice has room.

03

Begin the term

Weekly seminars, guided readings, and a final project that's genuinely your own.

Applications open

The autumn cohort begins this fall.

Tell us what you're hoping to study. We read every application ourselves and reply within a week.

Start your application Ask a question

Limited to 12 women per cohort · Held at City of Knowledge, Dallas · hello@maryaminstitute.org

Read the sacredon your own terms.