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ABOUT US Henry Martyn Institute - International Centre for Research, Interfaith Relations and Reconciliation (HMI) - is an ecumenical Christian organisation, dedicated to the objective study and teaching of Islam, the promotion of interfaith dialogue and reconciliation. Since its founding in 1930, HMI has established a long record of teaching and research, with an ever-widening circle of research scholars from both within the country and abroad who use the Institute's facilities for Master's, Doctoral and Post-Doctoral research. With well-qualified faculty and an excellent library and other facilities, HMI has become a major centre for research and teaching on matters related to Islamic studies. HMI publishes an academic journal and books on Christianity, Islam and other faiths, to which scholars and experts contribute from all over the world. HMI's location in Hyderabad, a city with a long history of Islamic influence, is ideally suited to its subject of specialisation. The many archives and libraries in Hyderabad contain valuable collections of manuscripts, books and journals in Arabic, Persian, Telugu, Urdu and English. They are additional resources for scholars in the field of Islamic studies and interfaith dialogue. In addition to offering its facilities for study and research to independent scholars, HMI has entered into collaborative relationships with other academic institutions to make those resources more accessible to a larger number of people. Through that networking, HMI's resources and capabilities are put to more effective use, enabling Indian and international students to avail themselves of its areas of expertise without having to come to Hyderabad. Scholarship is just one aspect of HMI's activities. HMI's goal is to combine academic research with praxis, reflected in HMI's work of reconciliation, which has grown out of the contemporary context of inter-religious alienation and violence. HMI's emphasis is on study and action at various levels in order to reduce prejudice, resolve conflict and increase trust, co-operation and understanding between individuals and groups. In order to work towards those goals HMI conducts a variety of praxis activities, including community development work in violence-prone areas of Hyderabad's Old City, mediation interventions and training to equip people from a variety of backgrounds with skills for responding more effectively to conflicts within and between communities, individuals and groups, along with interfaith initiatives that bring together women and men at grass-root levels. OUR LOGO The HMI logo was adopted in 1973 for use in the Institute's Newsletter Interaction. Over the years it has become the symbol for HMI as a whole. The design originally sought to portray a meeting place, a place of interaction in a spirit of holiness, a place where Muslims and Christians could respectfully gather for mutual learning. In the 1990s, with HMI's focus turning to the work of reconciliation, a broader understanding of interfaith relations has emerged. Indian society is one in which Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Native People and many others live side by side. Although HMI continues its commitment to improving understanding between Muslims and Christians, it sees this within the larger context of mending relationships between all peoples. Today when we look at the logo we see a building with its door open to all, a dome that unites peoples of all faiths, and a tower that, while pointing to God above, remains rooted to the earth that sustains us all. |
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