About Us
Our Vision
To be the model University-based spiritual & education center in the USA.
Our Mission
To create an inclusive community and to engage in sincere reflections that result in religious, intellectual, and social growth through educational programs and spiritual guidance based on Islamic principles.
Our Leadership
Amir Durić joined the Muslim Student Life at Syracuse University as a full-time chaplain on August 1, 2017. In this chaplaincy role, Imam Durić oversees the Muslim Chaplaincy at Syracuse University/SUNY ESF and educational programs supporting Muslim students, faculty, and staff. The goal of the chaplaincy is to create an inclusive community and to engage in sincere reflections that result in religious, intellectual, and social growth through educational programs and spiritual guidance based on Islamic principles.
Imam Durić is also a visiting chaplain and lecturer on Islam at Crouse Health, New York State Office of Mental Health, and Upstate Medical University. In those roles, Durić does not only support patients but also educates staff about the importance of religion and spirituality in the daily life of Muslims, and the unique needs that Muslim patients might have.
Durić previously served as the Imam, Khatib, and Mu'allim for ten years, three years in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina, and seven years in the United States, Delaware Valley-Philadelphia region. In this position, he was supporting and developing community and youth religious, cultural, educational, and spiritual programs. Some of these programs include the Annual Youth Convention and the Annual Family and Spiritual Retreat, which serves more than 800 individuals. Durić also volunteered as a chaplain with the New Jersey Department of Corrections, offering spiritual guidance and assistance.
Durić volunteers as the Secretary of Majlis III, which consists of 20 Bosniak communities throughout the Northeast and Canada. He also works closely with CNY Interfaith Works and is a member of the leadership council of ACTS (Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse). Durić is also involved with "Sadaka," a charity organization, which he co-founded in 2010 in Bosnia.
Originally from Bosnia, Durić finished a Madrasa (an Islamic Highschool) in 2006 and held a Bachelor's in Islamic sciences from the University of Sarajevo, the Faculty of Islamic Studies. In 2016, Durić completed a Graduate Certificate in Imam and Muslim Community Leadership Program at Hartford Seminary, where he also completed the Islamic Chaplaincy Program, which consists of a Masters in Religious Studies with the focus on Christian-Muslim Encounter and a Graduate Certificate in Islamic Chaplaincy. He also completed Level 1 of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.
Besides his professional engagements, Durić works toward the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Public Administration, and he is currently enrolled in the Ph.D. in Social Sciences at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.