- Middlebury College hires Zahra Moeini Meybodi as its new Muslim chaplain and interfaith advisor.
- Moeini hopes to bring more conversations about the philosophical questions of religion to Middlebury’s religious community.
Operating in Vermont since 1800, Middlebury College has hired Zahra Moeini Meybodi as its new Muslim chaplain and interfaith advisor.
Born in Queens, Moeini attended CUNY Hunter College for her bachelor’s degree in religious studies before pursuing a master’s degree in the same subject at the University of Chicago.
After receiving her Masters degree, Moeini began teaching courses in Religious Studies at Hunter College. She later applied for the job of the religious advisor at Middlebury.
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“At some point, I also wanted to explore [the] actual kind of practice of religion and community organizing, because I also had experiences in that, both on campuses and beyond campuses, for young Muslims. And so when I saw the opportunity to work here, I was very much interested in pursuing it,” Moeini told The Middlebury Campus.
Taking the new role, Moeini hopes to bring more conversations about the philosophical questions of religion to Middlebury’s religious community.
She also hopes to address rising Islamophobia in the American community.
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont.
Muslim chaplains often serve both Muslims and non-Muslims, offering spiritual support and guidance, and, in recent years, chaplains have acted as intra-institutional leaders who work towards greater interfaith understanding and community engagement.
Today, Muslim chaplaincy in the United States has moved away from da’wah towards a focus on support and pastoral care, according to the Association of Muslim Chaplains, a professional organization begun in 2011.