Yale University Announces Gift to Establish Center for Islamic Law and Civilization at Yale Law School

Yale University President Peter Salovey and Yale Law School Dean Robert C. Post announced today a $10 million gift to create the Abdallah S. Kamel Center for the Study of Islamic Law and Civilization at Yale Law School.

This generous gift is from Abdallah S. Kamel, chief executive of the Dallah Albaraka Group, LLC, a banking and real estate enterprise based in Saudi Arabia.

“Mr. Kamel’s extraordinary generosity will open up exciting new opportunities for Yale Law School and for the entire university,” said President Salovey. “The Abdallah S. Kamel Center for the Study of Islamic Law and Civilization will enhance research opportunities for our students and other scholars and enable us to disseminate knowledge and insights for the benefit of scholars and leaders all over the world.”

The center will bring prominent scholars of Islam to the Yale campus for public lectures, seminar discussions, visiting fellowships, and visiting professorships, attracting students from the Law School and other schools at the university to its lectures and other opportunities for collaboration.

“The creation of this center reflects the growing interest at Yale and other academic institutions in a deeper understanding of Islamic law, history, and culture,” said Dean Post. “Islamic law has a long and proud tradition, which encompasses great intellectual achievements. It is also a subject of immense contemporary importance. There is a tremendous need for an interdisciplinary center to support scholarship in the field. The Abdallah S. Kamel Center meets this need.”

The gift to establish the Center stems from an earlier gift to support the Dallah Albaraka Lectures on Islamic Law & Civilization at Yale Law School.

Under the direction of Law School Sterling Professors Owen Fiss and Anthony T. Kronman, the center will consist of the following components:

A lecture series on Islamic law and civilization: The lecture series continues the successful Dallah Albaraka Lectures on Islamic Law & Civilization, to be renamed Abdallah S. Kamel Lectures, which have been hosted by the Law School for the past two years. The series will bring scholars, writers, and practitioners in a range of disciplines to Yale University for public lectures and discussions.

Research fellowships for fellows in residence at the Law School: The fellows will contribute to the intellectual life of the Law School while also building relationships among colleagues at the university.

Visiting professorships: The Abdallah S. Kamel Center for the Study of Islamic Law and Civilization at Yale Law School will host distinguished scholars in the field of Islamic law and civilization who will spend a semester at the Law School to teach courses in their area of expertise. Visiting professors will also offer public lectures and engage with students and faculty at the Law School and Yale University.

Student fellowships for advanced studies: Student fellowships will support research, travel, and training for students engaged in projects related to Islamic law and civilization.

Professorship in Islamic Law: Eventually, when the Center is fully funded, it is the hope and expectation that a tenured professorship in the field of Islamic law will be established at the Yale Law School.

“The Abdallah S. Kamel Center for the Study of Islamic Law and Civilization at Yale Law School will benefit the entire world. It will enable our students and faculty to form lasting connections with scholars and experts in the Middle East and elsewhere,” Dean Post noted. “It will make a vital contribution to the study of law at Yale and beyond.”