James A. Toronto
Encyclopedia
James Albert Toronto is a professor of Arabic language
and Islam
ic religion at Brigham Young University
(BYU). He was previously a professor of comparative religion at the same institution.
to Robert F. Toronto. James Toronto is a descendant of the early Latter-day Saint missionary
in Italy
, Joseph Toronto
. As a young man, Toronto also served a mission in Italy.
Toronto received his BA in English with minors in history and Italian from BYU. He then received his MA and PhD in Islamic and Arabic Studies from Harvard University
.
Besides being a faculty member at BYU, Toronto has served as assistant director of BYU's David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies
and for three years was the director of BYU's Center for Cultural and Educational Affairs in Amman, Jordan.
Toronto has written several articles on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in both Italy and the Middle-East. He also edited and annotated the journals of Joseph Wilford Booth, which were published in 2004.
Toronto is married to the former Diane Gillett. They are the parents of two children.
Toronto is a Latter-day Saint. He was the president of the Provo Utah
Sharon East Stake from 1999 to 2007. Toronto has served as president
of the church's Italy Catania
Mission
since 2007.
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic religion at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
(BYU). He was previously a professor of comparative religion at the same institution.
Biography
Toronto was born in Indio, CaliforniaIndio, California
Indio is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, east of Riverside, and east of Los Angeles. It is about north of Mexicali, Baja California on the U.S.-Mexican border...
to Robert F. Toronto. James Toronto is a descendant of the early Latter-day Saint missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Joseph Toronto
Joseph Toronto
-Biography:Toronto was born in Sardinia and was a sailor in the Mediterranean Merchant Marines and on trans-Atlantic freighters. While in Boston, Massachusetts in 1843, Toronto met Latter Day Saint missionaries, read the Book of Mormon , and was baptized by George B...
. As a young man, Toronto also served a mission in Italy.
Toronto received his BA in English with minors in history and Italian from BYU. He then received his MA and PhD in Islamic and Arabic Studies from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Besides being a faculty member at BYU, Toronto has served as assistant director of BYU's David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies
David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies
The David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies provides international study and service opportunities for students at Brigham Young University ....
and for three years was the director of BYU's Center for Cultural and Educational Affairs in Amman, Jordan.
Toronto has written several articles on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in both Italy and the Middle-East. He also edited and annotated the journals of Joseph Wilford Booth, which were published in 2004.
Toronto is married to the former Diane Gillett. They are the parents of two children.
Toronto is a Latter-day Saint. He was the president of the Provo Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
Sharon East Stake from 1999 to 2007. Toronto has served as president
Mission president
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...
of the church's Italy Catania
Catania
Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
since 2007.