Dr. Saad Ismail is joined with Dr. David Coolidge who is a leading Muslim voice in Hindu studies. They focus on his area of specialization i.e. Chaitanya or Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Among other things, they explore the Vaishnava path of Bhakti or devotion to the Lord and discuss how it differs from other models of Hindu thought and practice, especially Advaita Vedanta. Finally, they discuss the question of human agency and Divine will by bringing into dialogue two verses from the Gita and the Quran.
Dr. R. David Coolidge completed his PhD from the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) with a dissertation about Muslim perceptions of the Hindu tradition. He worked as a Muslim chaplain at Dartmouth College and Brown University and taught undergraduate courses on Islamic law and ethics at New York University. He has served on the boards of various American Muslim institutions, including Zaytuna College and Taleef Collective.
Project Noon 