Adult Program on Islam (APOI) 2027: Program Application

Welcome to the Application Form for the Adult Program on Islam (APOI) 2027. We hope you will continue on to the application and, if successful, will join us at this year's program.

APOI is for participants aged 26 and above from within the United States and Canada.

APOI invites participants to explore the diverse intellectual traditions of the Ismaili faith and the broader intellectual history of Islam, engaging with questions of theology, philosophy, and thought that have shaped the Muslim world across centuries. This journey will be for the individual, but taken with the collective group, fostering shared learning experiences among participants, facilitators, and staff. Through interacting with some of the best academic scholars in the field of Islamic studies and humanities, participants will develop the capacity and skills to critically reflect on the richness of Muslim traditions and deepen their connection to their Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim faith and identity. Additionally, through facilitated conversations with their mentors and peers, participants will have the space to meaningfully engage with new ideas and perspectives — situating intellectual history within its historical contexts, critical methodologies, and cultural expressions — and build lasting friendships with Ismaili peers from across North America.

Program Dates
This year's program will be held from January 8th to January 10th, 2027 at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. Participants are expected to arrive in Dallas, TX, on the evening of January 7th, 2027 and should schedule departing flights for the morning of January 11th, 2027 from Dallas, TX.

Location
The program will be held at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. While field trips in and around Dallas will be arranged, the majority of the program will be held on the SMU campus.

Application Dates
Applications open on November 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is November 29th, 2026.
We will notify you as soon as the applications have been processed and will inform you about requirements, including the payment process.

Program Fees
The cost of the program is $850 USD and will include accommodation, meals, program materials, and the cost of scheduled activities. The program fees do not include the cost of airfare, which participants are responsible for booking on their own. For households that have genuine financial hardship, financial aid and assistance may be available.

IMPORTANT: Do not use AI-generated text in your essay response. We utilize AI detection tools to review all submissions. Any application found to contain AI-generated content will be automatically disqualified from consideration.

For More Information
If you have any questions regarding APOI, please visit our website at https://adultprogramonislam.org or contact us at [email protected].

1APOI 2027 Application > 2APOI 2027 Program Expectations
Name Name First Last
Preferred Email Address (We will use this email to inform you about updates about APOI)
Preferred Phone Number Preferred Phone Number - ### - ### ####
Date of Birth Date of Birth / MM / DD YYYY

Please note, this program is limited to those above the age of 26. You must be at least 26 by the first day of camp.
What region do you currently live in?
What is your local Jamatkhana (Jamatkhana Name, City, and State)
Mother's Country of Birth
Father's Country of Birth
Current Address Current Address
Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region Postal / Zip Code Country
Academic Information - High School/Secondary Education

Academic Information questions are not used to evaluate your application. Your responses will only be used to help us tailor APOI and future programs to best meet your needs and interests.

*If a question is not applicable to you, please write "N/A"
High School which you graduated from
Country
State/Province
Graduation year (if applicable)
Academic Information - Undergraduate Education
University attended
Country
State/Province
Graduation year
Field(s) of Study
Academic Information - Graduate Education (if applicable)
University attended
Country
State/Province
Graduation year
Field of Study
Application Essay Questions

Please answer only one question below. Responses must be between 400-500 words. For the remaining 4 questions you choose not to answer, please write "N/A".

IMPORTANT: Do not use AI-generated text in your response. We utilize AI detection tools to review all submissions. Any application found to contain AI-generated content will be automatically disqualified from consideration.
1. Imagine you are tasked with creating a new REC curriculum for North American Ismaili students in high school. What topics, themes, areas of study would you include? Why?
2. Imagine you are reading the Qur'an and you come across this verse in Surat an-Nisa: "As for those women (wives) from whom you fear discord and animosity, admonish them, then leave them in their beds, then strike them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Truly God is Exalted, Great" (4:34). What 2-3 questions immediately come to your mind when reading this verse? What resources would you seek to consult? How might you go about understanding and interpreting this verse?
3. You’ve been invited to deliver a presentation at a local masjid on the topic of the "Ismaili Imamat and the Shia Ismaili Muslim community". The audience will include students from both Sunni Muslim and Twelver Shia backgrounds. How would you think about approaching the planning of the presentation? What topics or areas would you include? What resources and references might you utilize?
4. Imagine you are a member of the National Council, with an increasingly diverse jamat that also has a larger proportion of second-generation (Ismailis born in North America), how would you build intra-community and inter-generational consensus? What studies would you commission? What programs would you implement? Why?
5. Throughout Islamic history, the role of reason in relation to other sources of faith like the Quran, Hadiths, or Farmans has been hotly debated. If it were up to you to resolve this debate, how would you approach the importance of reason compared to these sources? Why?
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Adult Program on Islam (APOI) 2027: Program Application

Adult Program on Islam (APOI) 2027: Program Application

Academic Information - High School/Secondary Education

Academic Information - Undergraduate Education

Academic Information - Graduate Education (if applicable)

Application Essay Questions