Courses in comparative religion were offered at AUC for the first time as part of an endowed professorship established by the renowned Saudi businessman Abdulhadi Taher. These courses aim to increase students' knowledge about the different world religions and promoting tolerance and understanding among adherents of different faiths.

Thanks to Taher's generous donation, Bradley Clough, an international expert in the field, was appointed to teach comparative religion courses at AUC.

Clough is a specialist on Buddhist studies and comes to AUC from Bard College in New York. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Eastern Religious Studies from St. Lawrence University and master's and doctorate degrees in Buddhist studies from Columbia University. He spent a considerable number of years in India and Sri Lanka conducting research on Buddhism and Hinduism.

"It is very admirable of AUC to establish a program that will bring in a study of religions other than the ones already covered here," commented Clough. "Students learn a lot about themselves in the process of comparison and start to see religions in relation to each other."