St. Bonaventure University says that its recently opened Center for Arab and Islamic Studies has received nearly $70,000 from donors in its western New York community.
The university says that the Islamic Society of the Southern Tier is among those who have recently contributed. An Islamic Society spokesman called the Catholic university's center an important initiative that will foster greater understanding and tolerance in the region.
Since opening last fall, the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies has brought in speakers and offered courses on things like Islamic art and architecture and Christian-Muslim Relations.