News story -- Dr Stephen Burge, Research Associate in the Institute's Qur'anic Studies Unit, attended theannual meeting of the American Oriental Society (AOS), held in Arizona, USA, from 14-17 March 2014. The Mamluk scholar and polymath Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH/1505 CE) described in one of his works how, having read Badr al-Din al-Zarkashi's Kitab al-Burhan fi 'ulum al-Qur'an, he came ...
News story -- The IIS is pleased to announce the launch of a new Shi'i Heritage Seriesof publications aimed at enhancing general knowledge of Shiʿi Islam and promoting a better understanding of its history, doctrines and practices in their historical and contemporary contexts. The first event took place at the Ismaili Centre in London on 3rd April, 2014 at which the first ...
News story -- The fifth cohort of the Institute's Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP) celebrated their achievements at a graduation ceremony held at the Ismaili Centre, London, on 5th April 2014. Students from Canada, France, India, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates and USA graduated at the ceremony with a double Master's degree: an ) MA in Education (Muslim Societies and ...
News story -- Since 1979, the IIS' Library has been developing, preserving and maintaining a unique collection of books, articles, recordings and films, images, and other materials representative of Muslim traditions and heritage. It thus supports and furthers the mission of the IIS in the broadest sense, whilst serving the specific research and teaching needs of students, researchers and visiting scholars. The ...
News story -- Two IIS publications, Towards a Shi'i Mediterranean Empireand The Founder of Cairo, both by Dr Shainool Jiwa, were launched at an event held in Mumbai, India, on February 14, 2014. Dr Shainool Jiwa, a specialist in Fatimid history, spoke at the event about her two latest works in a discussion with Anisa Virji, a GPISH alumnus and a member ...
News story -- The Unit seeks to promote a systematic study and research on materials of special relevance to the heritage of the Ismaili communities worldwide. In addition, it will be responsible for the overall management and development of special collections at the IIS, including manuscripts, coins and other artefacts, rare printed books and journals, archival items, audio-visual materials etc., as well ...
News story -- The Qur'anic Studies Unit at the IIS inaugurated its Book Review Lecture Series with a lecture by Professor Aziz al-Azmeh on 3 February 2014. The lecture was based on Professor Al-Azmeh's latest book, The Emergence of Islam in Late Antiquity: Allah and His People (Cambridge, 2014). He presented the book as an answer to the myriad questions about the ...
News story -- The Institute of Ismaili Studies is pleased to announce the publication of the next volume in the Epistles of the Brethren of Purity (Rasa'il Ikhwan al-Safa' Series), entitled On Natural Sciences: An Arabic Critical Edition and English Translation of Epistles 15 & 21, edited and translated by Carmela Baffioni with a foreword by Dr Nader El-Bizri. The Ikhwan al-Safaʾ ...
News story -- Dr Esots received his Ph.D. in Middle Eastern Literatures and Cultures from Tallinn University, Estonia in 2007. His Ph.D. dissertation is entitled Mulla Sadra's Teaching on Wujud: A Synthesis of Mysticism and Philosophy. From 2000-2013 (with minor intervals), he taught at the University of Latvia, becoming Associate Professor of Arabic and Persian in 2010. He is the editor of ...
News story -- The IIS in association with I.B. Tauris is pleased to announce the publication of A History Of Shiʿi Islamby Dr Farhad Daftary, the inaugural book in the newly launched Shi'i Heritage Series. In the context of conflicts and crises afflicting the Middle East, global exposure has accentuated how little is known outside the Muslim communities about the history and ...
News story -- During the second half of 2013, authors of various IIS publications facilitated thirty-one events across various countries, including Canada, Kenya, Portugal, Tanzania, Uganda, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Over 4,000 people attended the events, including local academics, students from leading universities, members of the Ismaili community, and others. In September, the IIS hosted an event ...
News story -- The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of Aims, Methods and Contexts of Qur'anic Exegesis (2nd/8th-9th/15th c.), edited by Dr Karen Bauer, Research Associate in the Qur'anic Studies Unit. Although many books and articles use tafsir as a source, this is the first volume dedicated to exploring tafsir as a genre. The product of two workshops sponsored by ...
News story -- The IIS is pleased to launch a digital interactive map based on the Safar-nama of Nasir-i Khusraw, the renowned Persian poet and philosopher. The interactive map traces the route of Nasir-i Khusraw and his companion on his epic voyage during which he travelled from Central Asia to the Mediterranean Coast, Egypt and Arabia. The Safar-nama or literally 'travelogue,' is ...
News story -- This was the sequel to the workshop Fragmentation and Compilation: The Making of Religious Texts in Islam: A Comparison with Ancient Mesopotamia, Judaism and Christianity in 2012. Both workshops were convened by Dr Asma Hilali, Research Associate at the Institute. Building on the first workshop, the second part had two main points of focus: (1) the examination of the ...
News story -- The IIS Alumni Association is pleased to announce the appointment of its elected leadership for the Asian, European and North American Chapter Groups. Established in 2005, the IIS Alumni Association aims to strengthen the relationship between the IIS and its graduates through supporting the personal, academic and career development of the alumni and working with them to maximise the ...
News story -- Drs Nuha al-Sha'ar and Asma Hilali, of the Qur'anic Studies Unit at the IIS, attended the conference entitled Knowledge and Education in Classical Islam: Historical Foundations and Contemporary Impactat the University of Gottingen, Germany. The conference was held by The Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Gottingen in collaboration with the Program of Islamic Studies ...
News story -- Thirteen students marked the completion of their studies at The Institute of Ismaili Studies at a graduation ceremony for the Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities (GPISH) Class of 2013. Approximately 150 guests, including the Institute's Board of Governors, Ismaili community leadership and donors to the IIS, joined the students and their families in celebrating their achievement at ...
News story -- The Qur'anic Studies Unit at the IIS organised an international colloquiumfrom 2-4 September 2013 entitled Approaches to the Qur'an in Contemporary Iran. This was the second event following two panels in 2012 at the Ninth Biennial Iranian Studies Conference in Istanbul. The colloquium brought together twenty-four scholarsfrom around the globe representing seventeen institutions including the Centre d'Analyse et d'Intervention ...
News story -- The eleventh annual Summer Programme on Islam was held at Clare College, University of Cambridge, from 11th - 18th August 2013. Thirty-seven participants from 16 countries, including Australia, Burundi, Canada, Denmark, France, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Tajikistan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, participated in the eight-day programme. The ...
Dr. Mohamed Keshavjee's book, "Islam, Sharia and Alternative Dispute Resolution" examines both Sunni and Shi'a applications of Islamic law, demonstrating how political, cultural and other factors have influenced the practice of fiqh and shari'a in the West. Exploring in particular the modern development of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), the author shows that this process can revitalise some of the essential principles that ...
News story -- The Institute of Ismaili Studies is pleased to announce that it has awarded the Zahid Ali Scholarship to Dr Sean W. Anthony, Assistant Professor of Islamic History in the Department of History at the University of Oregon. The Zahid Ali Scholarship was established in 1997 by the IIS in the name of Professor Zahid Ali (1888-1958), a pioneer of ...
News story -- Dr Miklos Sarkozy, Visiting Research Associate in the Institute's Department of Academic Research and Publications was a chief panellist at The Sixth Biennial Congress of The Association for the Study of the Persianate Societies in Sarajevo from 2-6 September 2013. The panel comprising three speakers including Dr Sarkozy was on the subject of Messianism and Occultism in Islamic History ...
News story -- The Asian Chapter Group of the Institute of Ismaili Studies organised their Annual General Meeting in Istanbul, Turkey from 4th-7th of July, 2013. The conference was attended by alumni from several Asian and African countries, esteemed speakers from Turkish academic institutions, senior advisers to the Turkish Government and academic and non-academic professionals from IIS. The theme for this year's ...
News story -- On 2 July 2013, the IIS and AKU-ISMC were visited by a delegation from the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) of China. The two organisations were specifically chosen by the delegation as part of a programme that included visits in Paris and in the U.K. to organisations such as the British and Foreign Bible Society, the Oxford Centre ...
News story -- Professor Andrew Rippin has joined The Institute of Ismaili Studies as Senior Research Fellow in the Qur'anic Studies Unit of the Department of Academic Research and Publications. Professor Rippin is one of the foremost authorities in the study of the Qur'an and Qur'anic exegesis. He is Professor Emeritus of Islamic History at the University of Victoria in Canada, where ...
News story -- The Department of Curriculum Studies (DCS) at The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) has launched the first cycle of the annual internship programme for graduates of the Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP) this year. The programme aims to provide teacher-interns with further professional development in curriculum development and teacher education. The opportunity to participate in the programme is open ...
News story -- The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) on 26 June 2013 hosted a book launch at the Ismaili Centre in London for the book Islam, Sharia and Alternative Dispute Resolution- Mechanisms for Legal Redress in the Muslim Communityby Mohamed M Keshavjee, PhD (Lond) and Barrister at law from the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn. In this publication, the author, an ...
News story -- Professor Carmela Baffionihas joined The Institute of Ismaili Studies as a Senior Research Fellow, primarily to work on the Epistles of the Brethren of Purity publication series. Professor Baffioni is a member of the Accademia dei Lincei, the Academia Europaea, the Accademia Ambrosiana, and the Academie Internationale d'Histoire des Sciences. Her work at the Institute will focus on the ...
News story -- Dr Stephen Burge, Research Associate in the Institute's Qur'anic Studies Unit, attended the American Oriental Society (AOS) Annual Meeting, held in Boston, USA. His paper was entitled Jihad in the late Mamluk Period: A Comparison of Two Arba'un Collections by al-Biqa'i (d.1480 CE) and al-Suyuti (d.1505 CE). The paper presentedan analysis of two collections of Forty Hadiths (arba'un) Collections, ...
News story -- April and May saw the last four lectures in the Qur'anic Studies Series, The Meaning of the Word: Lexicology and Tafsir. The series aimed to explore the ways in which different exegetes approached questions relating to the meaning of words in the Qur'an. In April, Prof. Agosinto Cilardo (University of Napels) presented a lecture entitled: 'From Qur'an to Fiqh: ...
News story -- The Institute of Ismaili Studies is pleased to announce the publication of an Arabic edition and English translation of the Tathbit al-imama, attributed to the Fatimid Caliph-Imam al-Mansur. This book, edited and translated by Professor Sami Makarem, has been published under the title, The Shi'i Imamate: A Fatimid Interpretation. The Tathbit al-imama is an early Ismaili treatise on the ...
News story -- Professor Wilferd Madelung, Senior Research Fellow at the IIS, received the Farabi International Award from Iran's Ministry of Islamic Guidance and Culture for his outstanding contributions to Islamic and Iranian studies. The award is named in honour of the great Muslim philosopher, Abu Nasr al-Farabi, of Turkish descent from Iranian Central Asia, who studied and revived the tradition of ...
News story -- The Institute of Ismaili Studies is pleased to announce the publication of an English translation of the text on the fourth Fatimid Imam-caliph, al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah, from Idris 'Imad al-Din's 'Uyun al-akhbar. This book, translated by Dr Shainool Jiwa, has been published under the title, The Founder of Cairo: The Fatimid Imam-Caliph al-Mu'izz and his Era, Ismaili Texts and ...
News story -- Dr Omar Ali-de-Unzaga and Dr Daryoush Mohammad Poor presented papers at a conference honouring Professor Ismail Poonawala's career held at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) on 23 May 2013. The conference, 'Reflecting on Ismaili Studies: Standing on Poonawala's shoulders' was organised by the G.E. Von Grunebaum Center for Near Eastern Studies of UCLA to recognise the achievements of ...
News story -- During the first half of 2013, authors of recent IIS publications delivered six events, visiting Canada, France, Portugal, United Kingdom and Tajikistan. Over 550 people attended the events, including local academics, dignitaries, members of the Ismaili community and others. The first book launch of the year was held on 9th February at the Ismaili Centre Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to commemorate ...
News story -- Dr Jalal Badakhchani and Professor Hermann Landolt were special guests at a book launch programme held in Tehran towards the end of 2011, dedicated to the 13th century Diwan-i Qa'imiyyat (Poems of the Resurrection) by Hasan Mahmud Katib. The launch was held at the Centre for Research of the Written Heritage (Markaz Nashr-i Miras-i Maktoob). Dr Badakhchani, editor of ...
News story -- Dr Al-Karim Datoo, Research Coordinator for the Constituency Studies Unit at the IIS, presented a paper entitled ' Sociological exploration of values in a globalising context' at the British Sociological Association's annual conference 'Engaging Sociology' on 5 April 2013 in London. In his presentation, Dr Datoo analysed how the forces and processes of globalisation impact the formation of values, ...
News story -- Dr Miklos Sarkozy, an associate professor of the Karoli Gaspar University of the Hungarian Reformed Church has joined the IIS as a research fellow until December. His research at the Institute will focus on the history of the regional policy of the Nizari Ismaili State with its neighbouring kingdoms of Northern Iran in the Caspian provinces of Gilan and ...
News story -- Dr Farhad Daftary, Co-Director of the Institute, has been elected to the membership of the Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation's Board of Directors. He has been and continues to be a consulting editor with them. The Encyclopaedia Iranica is dedicated to the study of Iranian civilisation in the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. This academic reference ...
News story -- The fourth cohort of the Institute's Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP) celebrated their achievements at the annual graduation celebration at the Ismaili Centre in London on 6th April 2013. This was followed by their formal graduation ceremony at the Institute of Education's (IOE) Logan Hall on 8thApril 2013. Students from Canada, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan and USA graduated at the ...
