Comparative Religions Study
“We don’t get to choose the religious heritage we are born into…and we all need to get along.”
Dr. Reza Khatib
The Khatib humanitarian and multicultural outreach continued to expand through their retirement years, and when Saudi Terrorists conducted the heartbreaking attack of September 11, 2001, they sponsored seminars New York with St. Joseph’s College & University for many years, and continue today with the “University of Mary Washington to further advance the Khatib Chair for Comparative Religion Studies. Reza and Georgie had been in New York on 9/11 and had witnessed the horrors and destruction caused by hate and religious fanaticism. They had looked at each other and said, “We need to do something about it!”
The University of Mary Washington
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In 2019, the University of Mary Washington was honored to announce the Khatib Program in Religion & Dialogue (KPRD). This continued Reza and Georgie’s tradition for working for common understanding among peoples of many faiths. In doing so they worked through the invervention and support of Dr. Mehdi Aminrazavi, the university’s Professor of Religion. 
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The University knew that Reza and Georgie were already well known their philanthropic work in science, medicine, and brain-related diseases, and a great deal about the tragedy of 9/11 had opened up the tragic concerns of that disaster. “Other institutions of higher education have been past beneficiaries of Khatib support; the University of Mary Washington has become hopefully the permanent home of The Khatib Program in Religion & Dialogue. Following numerous meetings at the University and in New York, an ambitious program was put together, and to hopefully accomplish such a necessary task of promoting further dialogue. St. Joseph’s UniversitySt. Joseph’s University (then St. Joseph’s College) was home for the initial Khatib comparative lectures. They had set aside one million dollars to promote these religious dialogues. They believed that through mutual understanding and respect for each other’s religions, tolerance and peaceful coexistence is possible. They aimed to encourage endeavors that aim to expose and introduce the scholarly and academic versions of religions taught by well-respected academics to offset the hateful agendas of those who commit violence in the name of world religions. |
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These clickable videos illustrate aspects of the St.Josephs comparative religion programs. And read more about the St. Joseph Seminar Program’s Khatib Lectures here.