This video is a 55 minute recording of Professor Bosworth's lecture delivered in 1983 on 'British Orientalism and the Study of Islam' at the IIS. The talk was part of a seminar series centred on the theme of 'Orientalism and the Study of Islam'. Professor C.E Bosworth, a visiting professor at the University of Exeter, is an English historian and orientalist, specialising ...
News story -- Ms Shenoda is working on her doctoral thesis entitled Lamenting Islam, Imagining Persecution: Copto-Arabic Opposition to Islamisation and Arabisation in Fatimid Egypt (969-1171 CE). The thesis is a critical consideration of Coptic Christians in Fatimid Egypt. Copto-Arabic writings of this period lament the Islamisation and Arabisation of Egypt. However, this perceived persecution of Christians is not echoed in other ...
News story -- The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of Fortresses of the Intellect: Ismaili and Other Islamic Studies in Honour of Farhad Daftary, edited by Dr Omar Alí-de-Unzaga. This volume is dedicated to the achievements of Dr Farhad Daftary, a leading authority on Ismaili Studies and eminent scholar of Islamic history. Educated in Iran, Europe and the United States, ...
News story -- "Leading scholars and activists bring exciting perspectives on what went into the making of the Muslim world, its journeys into modernity, and the challenges it must confront after September 11, 2001", says Amyn B. Sajoo, the series' editor. He notes that while a feast of books on Islam and Muslims has been served since 2001, the ones of high ...
News story -- Drawing upon selected art works, manuscripts and miniatures from the collections of the Aga Khan Museum (AKM) and The Institute of Ismaili Studies, Mr Merchant recounted the exuberance and dynamism of artistic environments established from Indonesia to Spain by patrons who attracted celebrated artists to create vibrant and unique masterpieces. "It was fascinating and enlightening," said Dr Beth Wright, ...
News story -- Dr Orkhan Mir-Kasimov of the Institute's Department of Academic Research and Publications presented a paper at the seminar, The Current State of Research on Medieval Islam (Actualités de la recherche sur l'Islam medieval) organised by the Laboratory of Medieval Islam at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. The paper, entitled Ongoing ...
News story -- The translation was commissioned by the IIS, through its Central Asian Studies Unit, to scholars from the Khujand State University, including Professor Nosirjon Salimov, the rector of KSU, and Professor Umeda Ghafforova. The scholars prepared the critical edition of the book with an introduction, commentary and an extensive glossary, which makes this publication accessible to a wide readership. In ...
News story -- The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of one of the significant poetic works in Ismaili literature -- the Diwan or collected poems of the eminent scholar, statesman and chief da'iof the Fatimids, al-Mu'ayyad fi'l-Din al-Shirazi (1000-1078 CE).The Diwan consists of 62 qasidas of varying length composed by al-Mu'ayyad during his time as a Fatimd da'i in Persia, ...
News story -- The seminar brought together participants from around the globe to discuss the underlying causes of poverty as well as current and future models for poverty reduction. It reminded participants of the multidimensional nature of poverty and proposed a shift in the definition of poverty, expanding its scope from a narrow measurement that exclusively addresses income to a definition that ...
News story -- The IIS launched one of its new publications, Spiritual Quest: Reflections on Qur'anic Prayer According to the Teachings of Imam 'Ali, at the Ismaili Centre in Dubai. The author Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi, introduced the book, which provides a unique contemporary insight into the spiritual, intellectual and moral dynamics of the Qur'anic chapters recited by Muslims of all traditions in ...
News story -- The second cohort (C2) of the Institute's Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP) celebrated their achievements at the annual graduation ceremony held at the Institute of Education's (IOE) Logan Hall on the 6th of April 2011. Students from Canada, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan and USA graduated at the ceremony with a double Masters degree: MA in Education (Muslim Societies and Civilisations) ...
News story -- Students from the Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities (GPISH) and the Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP) embarked upon an educational trip to southern Spain on February 14, 2011. This annual trip provides students with first hand exposure to the historical roots of Islam in Europe. The students were accompanied by Anna McSweeny, GPISH Lecturer, Dr Miriam Ali ...
Publication: Surviving the Mongols: Nizari Quhistani and the Continuity of Ismaili Tradition in PersiaAuthor: Dr Nadia Eboo Jamal1. What was your motivation or source of inspiration to write this book? (00:00)2. What aspects of Ismaili philosophy would you say are apparent in Nizari Quhistani's poetry? (01:46)3. What do you hope readers will take away from the book regarding the survival of the ...
News story -- The Institute of Ismaili Studies has awarded its doctoral scholarships for the fifteenth year. The two recipients of the 2011 cycle of the scholarship programme are Zarangez Karimova from Tajikistan and Ula Zeir from Syria.Zarangez Karimova completed the Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities (GPISH) at the IIS in 2009. Whilst studying at the IIS, she conducted field ...
News story -- During his academic career, spanning more than five decades, Prof. Arkoun was an outstanding research scholar and a rigorous critic of the theoretical tensions embedded in the field of Islamic Studies. He was a courageous public intellectual who was a powerful voice in the frequently contentious debates on Islamic modernism and humanism. A native of Algeria, Mohammed Arkoun was ...
News story -- "Our student body personified a colourful, multicultural mosaic. The rich diversity represented at the Summer Programme on Islam makes it possible to extend a concept like pluralism beyond theoretical boundaries to a shared experience." (SPI 09 participant). The programme provided a structured intellectual forum for an introductory study of Islam to reflect on contemporary issues relevant to Muslim societies. ...
News story -- From 2006 to 2010, Dr Vellani was the Associate Director of the Critical Writing Program at the University of Pennsylvania and also served as a Senior Fellow for Penn's College Houses and Academic Services. There he managed all aspects of academic administration for over 3,000 students every year, as well as undertaking teaching and curriculum development. Prior to moving ...
News story -- The IIS hosted a book launch at the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon to launch two recent publications: Spiritual Quest: Reflections on Qur'anic Prayer According to the Teachings of Imam 'Aliand the Portuguese translation of Justice & Remembrance: Introducing the Spirituality of Imam 'Ali. The event was attended by Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi, the author of the books, as well as ...
News story -- One of the purposes of this trip was to enable students to visit historical sites connected to the Fatimid period such as the al-Azhar Mosque, arguably the most important building from Fatimid Cairo, and the mosque of al-Hakim, which lies between the two large monumental gates of Bab al-Nasr and Bab al-Futuh. The visit also gave students an opportunity ...
News story -- Using several examples of contemporary warfare, including the US-led war in Iraq, Professor Frost argued that military and political perspectives alone failed to explain the justifications advanced by various parties and their critics for their evolving positions. Rather, ethical reasoning on the basis of principles that emerge from the legal, political and social norms in international relations was the ...
News story -- The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of A Modern History of the Ismailis: Continuity and Change in a Muslim Community, edited by Dr Farhad Daftary, Co-Director of the Institute. This publication is the culmination of the most recent scholarship, in many cases based on field research, as well as oral traditions and community documents not published hitherto. ...
News story -- The 2003 recipient of the IIS' Dissertation Writing Scholarship, Dr Mir-Kasimov obtained his doctorate from the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Paris. His thesis was devoted to the reconstruction of the doctrinal views of the Hurufis, one of the messianic movements strongly influenced by Shi'i ideas which emerged in Iran in the 14th century CE. After defending his ...
News story -- Dr Nuha al-Shaar, Research Associate in the Institute's Qur'anic Studies Unitand an IIS Alumna,presented a paper as part of a panel entitled "Reason and Revelation" at MESA 2010 in San Diego. The panel also included a paper by Dr. Alnoor Dhanani, specialist in Islamic Intellectual History and former head of the Department of Graduate Studies at the Institute. Employing ...
News story -- Another publication was released by the IIS in October: On Logic: An Arabic Critical Edition and English Translation of Epistles 10-14, edited and translated by Professor Carmela Baffioni. This is the second volume of primary text from the Epistles of the Brethren of Purity(Rasa'il Ikhwan al-Safa'), which is being published in its entirety, over sixteen bilingual volumes, by Oxford ...
News story -- The Department of Academic Research and Publications at the IIS organised an international colloquium on 20-22 September 2010. The colloquium entitled The Study of Shi'i Islam: The State of the Field, Issues of Methodology and Recent Developments offered a productive atmosphere for the exchange of new ideas and for taking stock of the current state of scholarship in Shi'i ...
News story -- Adapted from the original Arabic text by Hooda al-Shawwa' al-Qaddumi, this abridged version of the famous fable: Epistle 22 of the Rasa'il Ihkwan al-Safa' (Epistles of the Brethren of Purity) was first published in Iraq in the 10th century CE. The story is illustrated by vibrant and colourful paintings by the artist Hasan Mousa. The narrative features the animal ...
News story -- Given that it was nearly lost to history - only available in a unique manuscript held in Tehran - Sharastani's commentary (dating from 540 AH/1145 CE) is a peculiarly exciting survival of the medieval literature on the Holy Qur'an. Its value mainly rests on three things. Firstly, its author enjoys a very high reputation as a scholar and thinker ...
News story -- Despite critical studies on Shi'i Islam having increased in scope in the last few decades, to this day most Shi'i beliefs and practices remain relatively unknown and poorly understood. One reason for this is that Western specialists in this field make up no more than thirty in number, in addition to a few rare Shi'i scholars who apply historico-critical ...
News story -- The Central Asian Studies unit of the IIS, in collaboration with the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan (AST), has published a new Tajik edition of Nasir Khusraw's Zad al-Musafirin: The Nourishment of the Wayfarers. This is the second publication in Tajik after Nasir Khusraw's Diwan of poetry which was published ...
News story -- It was the first time that the Institute has collaborated on such a programme with a working group from the AAR, which is the major international organisation for scholars of religion. The workshop was co-sponsored by the AAR's Qur'an group. This event highlighted the increasing scholarly interest in Qur'an commentaries, and the critical importance of the work being undertaken ...
News story -- The Central Asian Studies unit of the IIS, in collaboration with the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts (IOM) of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan (AST), has published a new Tajik edition of Nasir-i Khusraw's Jami' al-Hikmatayn(Twin Wisdoms Reconciled).This new critical edition, prepared by Professor Karomatullo Olimov who is the Director of IOM and Vice-President of the AST, is supplied ...
News story -- The circular city of Baghdad, built out of mud bricks on the River Tigris, was a tolerant, multi-religious, multi-ethnic city. One of the foremost centres of Islamic intellectual and religious research, it also incorporated much of the learning from the preceding Late Antique period c.150 - c.750 CE. It is significant that the city was only 20 miles from ...
News story -- The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of Shi'i Interpretations of Islam: Three Treatises on Islamic Theology and Eschatology, by the prolific 13th century Persian scholar, Nasir al-Din Tusi (1201-1274 CE). In this volume, Dr Sayyad Jalal Badakhchanitranslates three shorter but significant works of Tusi on Nizari Ismaili doctrines, namely Solidarity and Dissociation (Tawala wa tabarra), Desideratum of ...
News story -- His final work, Eagle's Nest: Ismaili Castles in Iran and Syria, published in 2005 by The Institute of Ismaili Studies in association with I.B. Tauris, is recognised as the standard work on the subject. A Persian translation of the same was published in Tehran in 2007. Peter Willey began his archaeological research in 1959 and, over the course of ...
News story -- The Institute of Ismaili Studies hosted a bi-lingual French/English conference on 'Science and Philosophy in Classical Islamic Civilization' from 3-5 December 2010. The event constituted the 8th International Colloquium of the Société Internationale d'Histoire des Sciences et de la Philosophie Arabes et Islamiques (SIHSPAI) that has its Secretariat in Paris at the Centre d'Histoire des Sciences et des Philosophies ...
News story -- he IIS is pleased to announce the publication of Spiritual Quest: Reflections on Qur'anic Prayer According to the Teachings of Imam Ali, the third in the Occasional Papers Series. In this book, Dr Shah-Kazemiexplores the role that the Qur'an plays in the daily lives of Muslims in the contemporary world. He argues that the Qur'an is thefountainhead of a ...
News story -- Professor Karim H. Karim, Co-Director of the Institute, gave a talk titled 'The Ismailis: An Islamic Engagement with Modernity' at Manchester Metropolitan University on 15 November 2010. The talk was organised by the University as part of their Multicultural Studies programme. Professor Karim's lecture explored the Ismaili Muslim community's engagement with modernity under the guidance of its present Imam, ...
News story -- The IIS hosted a series of international events in Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver in Canada and Leicester in the UK to launch A Companion to Muslim Ethics. This second volume in the Muslim Heritage Series, edited by Dr Amyn B. Sajoo, provides academics, students and other interested readers with an insight into the roots of Islam's ethical framework - ...
News story -- Stephen Burge, from IIS' Qur'anic Studies Unit, organised a pre-conference workshop at the American Academy of Religion's Annual Meeting in association with the Qur'an Group of the AAR, in Atlanta, USA, on 29 October 2010. Entitled "The Meaning of the Word: Lexicology and Tafsir", the workshop formed the first part of a project run by the Qur'an Group exploring ...
