CIOGC offers its prayers and deepest condolences to the family of Dr. Esmael Khoushanpur, former Vice Chair of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC).
Born in 1934 in Tehran, Iran, Dr. Khoushanpur served as an advisor to the Foundation on Islamic Affairs and was a distinguished professor of American-Muslim Relations at the Graduate Theological Foundation from which he received his doctorate.
He directed interfaith programs at the Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago in Northbrook, Illinois for nearly 20 years and was Professor Emeritus at Northwestern Medical School, serving as chairman of numerous university medical school committees dealing with educational and administrative issues, as well as President of the medical school’s faculty senate, during his 36 years there.
The third edition of his textbook, Renal Physiology: An Integrative Approach, is scheduled for publication by Springer Publisher. Dr. Koushanpour traveled extensively within the US and abroad to lecture, present papers, and chair scientific sessions at international scientific achievements and was a Fulbright Scholar at University of Heidelberg in Germany.
Active in interfaith programs and building bridges between Islam and other religions as the Council’s Vice Chair, Dr. Koushanpour was the co-chairman of our Catholic-Muslim Dialogue Committee. He served on the Board of Directors of Gilead Outreach and the Referral Center of Chicago and has been honored by the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation with their Faith in Community Award for building bridges between faiths.
His contributions to medical science, community service, and Islamic education have cemented his memory at CIOGC and far beyond. He was a fixture in many important institutions in Chicago, leaving his legacy across a broad swathe of society, and will surely be missed.
Inna Lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un. To Allah we belong and surely to Him we shall return.