Passion for students, outreach shaped Imam Gürsoy’s journey to SU chaplaincy
Imam Hamza Gürsoy, known as Imam or Chaplain Hamza, was appointed over the summer as Syracuse University’s Muslim chaplain and advisor for the Muslim Student Association at Hendricks Chapel. Griffin Uribe Brown | Social Media Editor
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After attending college outside of the United States, Imam Hamza Gürsoy ended up at a school in Chicago. As he completed course requirements like political science, biology and art, he experienced the American education system firsthand.
Upon completing his undergraduate degree, he felt a desire to pivot, perhaps to law school or a history program to immerse himself in a new field.
“But then I saw something different in the chaplaincy. I wanted to try it,” he said.
Attending an American college was key in Gürsoy’s journey to the chaplaincy; it’s fitting his next career step is at another one. Gürsoy, known as Imam or Chaplain Hamza in his religious capacity, was appointed over the summer as Syracuse University’s Muslim chaplain and advisor for the Muslim Student Association at Hendricks Chapel.
He hopes to bring his religious and teaching experiences to SU with a goal of connecting with students and fostering multifaith communication.
SU is the latest destination in his journey, which began in Bursa, Turkey, and has brought Gürsoy across the U.S. He lived in Turkey until his second year of college, and then received a scholarship to study Islamic science and art in Albania.
Gürsoy then moved to South Carolina on a student visa. He described it as a formative time, during which he became involved in a local Turkish community and served as a guest imam. The imam, a former prison chaplain and Vietnam veteran, introduced him to the chaplaincy.
Together, they worked with high school volunteers to lead services and Sunday school lessons for kids — an early career student-centered experience.
Gürsoy moved to American Islamic College in Chicago after living in New Jersey. Due to a credit transfer issue with his Albanian degree, he completed his Islamic sciences and art bachelor’s degree again in Chicago, joking he has two diplomas for one degree.
Gürsoy enrolled in Chicago Theological Seminary, which had an Islamic chaplaincy program with Bayan Islamic Graduate School. There, he developed a deeper understanding of chaplaincy, working with different Islamic groups and cultures.
Before arriving in Syracuse, Gürsoy was the first Muslim chaplain at Chicago’s Swedish Hospital, which he described as an “emotional” job. He gained experience through his other work around community outreach and teaching religious classes to eighth graders.
Gürsoy fills a job formerly held by Amir Durić, who was recently appointed to be Hendricks’ assistant dean for religious and spiritual life. Durić’s eight-year tenure as Muslim chaplain saw a 500% increase in student participation in Chapel programming.
Durić defines a chaplain as someone who “deeply cares for all members of a community,” and is equipped with skills rooted in religious, spiritual and emotional support. He said Gürsoy meets that job description.
“(Gürsoy) brings a comforting and caring presence to the rooms he walks into, he meets the standards of professional chaplaincy,” Durić said. “And he is particularly passionate about working with college students.”
Although unfamiliar with SU before becoming its Muslim chaplain, Gürsoy was drawn to the historic Hendricks Chapel, calling it the “spiritual heart of the university.” Hendricks, which opened its doors in 1930, has 15 multifaith chaplains on its staff, according to its communications manager Dara Harper.
“We work together — rabbi, imam, priests and Buddhist chaplain. I’m sharing my office, for example, with the Buddhist chaplain,” Gürsoy said. “It’s so interesting for me, I like working interfaith and the dialogue.”
Although he’s only been interacting with students for less than a week, Gürsoy said students, particularly those in MSA and Muslim Student Life groups, give him hope and energy. Gürsoy said his role as chaplain is to guide students — Muslim or non-Muslim — through their spiritual journeys and beyond.
Gürsoy’s call to theology and history informed his transition into the chaplaincy; his passion for youth outreach brought him to SU. Chaplains are stationed in a variety of locations such as the military, hospitals and Congress. But he eyed a chaplaincy role at a university, given his experience teaching and the counsel from other chaplains around him.
Gürsoy has plans to channel his love for teaching into courses on the Quran and Prophet Muhammad and field trips with MSA over the next few weeks. He said he’s looking forward to working with SU’s many multicultural groups and introducing more student outreach in the future.
Gürsoy said he spent hours working with members of the MSA, including MSA President Omar Mohammed, to set up last week’s pre-welcome event. Last Friday, MSA had its first Jummah prayer of the semester on campus at Hendricks.
“I am excited to collaborate with (Gürsoy) and continue building the rapport of inclusion and belonging that the MSA is known for,” MSA Vice President Elyas Layachi said.
Gürsoy and the newly-appointed rabbi at Hendricks, Natan Levy, are working on introducing a joint Hebrew-Arabic class. The class is part of Gürsoy’s larger goal to build community and expand events across SU’s faith communities and become more involved in education.
Beyond his day-to-day chaplain work, Gürsoy is a published author of two Turkish-language science fiction-fantasy books of the “Lord of the Rings” style. He also hopes to incorporate his classroom-oriented passions, like his love of literature, into the position.
“I’m living my dream, actually, being part of the university, because my first dream was being a professor,” he said. “Some people say, if you want to be rich, you must be so close to money, and I’m close to the university, so I can be a part of the university in the future.”
The transition from chaplaincy at a hospital to a university is “definitely different,” but aligns with Gürsoy’s draw to education and experience with youth outreach. While supporting the faith journeys of young adults at SU differs from his youth Sunday school days, he’s prepared to fill the various roles his new job demands.
“(I’m) not just the teacher, I’m not just the Imam, I must be more than that,” he said. “That’s why I’m the chaplain, chaplain is more than all of this, I hope.”
