| EDUCATION
1990 Ph.D. History of Religions, Department
of History, School of Oriental and African Studies, London
Ph.D. Dissertation: “The Rijal of the Shi'i Imams as
Depicted in Imami Biographical Literature"
1983-85 Qum Seminary, Qum, Iran
Extended research work in Islamic jurisprudence, biographical
and hadith literature, Qur’anic exegesis, Arabic, and
principles of extrapolating Islamic law.
1983 M.A. History of Religions, Department
of Religious Studies, University of Virginia, Charlottesville,
VA
M.A. Thesis: “A Study of the Doctrine of Messianism in Islam”
1978 B.Sc., Economics, Dept. of Economics,
City University, London

PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT
2009 - Present Professor, Sharjah Chair in Global Islam,
McMaster University, Canada
2005 - 2009 Associate Professor, University of Denver
2001-2004 Assistant Professor, University of Denver
1999–2001 Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Miami
1999–2000 Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto
1998–2000 Adjunct Professor, Queen’s University and McMaster
University
1996–1997 Visiting Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt University
1990–1996 Director of Religious Studies, Toronto

COURSES TAUGHT
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- Introduction to Islamic Civilizations
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- Islam
in the American Mosaic
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- Judaism, Christianity & Islam
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- Christian-Muslim
Fundamentalisms
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- Qur’an and
Hadith Literature
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- Islam
in the Medieval Era
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- The Varieties of
Islamic Experience
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PUBLICATIONS
Books:
Shi‘ism in America. New York: New York
University Press, September 2009.
Shi’i Islam in North America: United
States of America and Canada. Dix
Hills: 2012.
The Heirs of the Prophet: Charisma and Religious Authority
in Shi‘ite Islam. Albany: State University of New York,
2006.
Translation of Ziyarat Guide: Selected Supplications.
Toronto: MEBS, 2000.
Translation of Pilgrims’ Guide: Selected Supplications.
Toronto: Hydery Press, 1998.
Translation of Questions of Jurisprudence: A Comparative
Study of Muslim Ritual Practices, by Sharaf al-Din al-Musawi.
Toronto: Hydery Press, 1996.
Translation of Ask Those Who Know: An Exposition of the Shi'ite Creed, by Muhammad al-Tijani al-Samawi. Toronto:
Hydery Press, 1995.

Current Research:
“Contemporary Ijtihad and the Reform Movement in Islam” (working title)
SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION
"Giving Voices to the Voiceless: Female Converts to Shi’i
Islam in the United States and Canada" Co-authored with A. Inloes,

Journal Articles:
"The Study of Shi'i Islam in the Western
Academia." Rahnomoon journal (forthcoming 2013), Tehran
"The
Study of Shi'ite Islam in North American Universities" Muslim
World (forthcoming in 2012)
“American
Shi’ism and the Media.” The Bright Future, 6 (2011):
23-34.
"The
Ground Zero Mosque Controversy: Implications for American Islam"
Religions
2 (2011): 132-144.
“Peace and War in the Qur’an and Juridical Literature: A
Comparative Perspective.” The Journal of Sociology & Social
Welfare, 28, no. 2 (2011): 137-158.
"The
Indigenization and Politicization of American Islam,"
Politics and Religion Journal, 5 no. 1
(2011): 115-127..
"The Ten Commandments and the Tablets in Shi‘i and Sunni
Tafsir
Literature: A Comparative Perspective." The Muslim World
101,
no. 1 (2011):
94-109.
"War and Peace in the
Islamic Sacred Sources." Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies, 4,
no. 1 (2011): 5-22.
“Preserving or Extending Boundaries? The Black Shi‘is of
America.” The Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 30, 2 (2010):
237-249.
"Reinterpretation or Reformation: Shi‘i Law in the West."
Journal of Shia Islamic Studies, 3, 2 (2010): 141-165.
"From Pacifism to Activism: Engaging the Muslim Other in
America." Shi'a Affairs Journal, 2 (2009): 1-20.
“A Minority with Diversity: The Shi‘i Community in America.” The
Journal of IslamicLaw and Culture, 10, 3 (2008): 326-341.
“Revivalism or Reformation: The Reinterpretation of Islamic Law
in Modern Times.” American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences,
25, no. 3 (2008): 61-81.
“Holy Peace or Holy War: Tolerance and Co-existence in the
Islamic Juridical Tradition.” Islam and Muslim Societies, 3, no.
2 (2007): 295-307.
“The Origins of and Authentications in Shi‘i Biographical
Literature.” American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 24,
no. 4 (2007): 26-49.
“Offering Complete or Shortened Prayers? The Traveler’s
Salat at
the Holy Places.” The Muslim World, 96, no. 3 (2006): 401-422.
“Charismatic Appeal or Communitas? Visitation to the Shrines of
the Imams.” Journal of Ritual Studies 18, no. 2 (2004): 106-120.
“From Conversion to Conversation: Interfaith Dialogue in
Post-911 America.” The Muslim World 94, no. 3 (2004): 343-55.
“Combining the Two Prayers: Sectarian Polemics in the Juridical
Literature.” International Journal of Shi‘i Studies 1, no. 2
(2004): 95-129.
“Authority Construction in Biographical Texts: The Cases of
Humran b. A‘yan and Mu’min al-Taq.” International Journal of Shi‘i Studies 1, no. 1 (2003): 125-55.
“Adoration in Islamic Mystical Tradition.” Prabuddha Bharata
(“Awakened India”) (2002): 43-45.
“From Bid‘a to Sunna: The Wilaya of ‘Ali in the Shi‘i
Adhan.”
Journal of the American Oriental Society 120, no. 2 (2000):
66-77.
“Foreign Influences on American Shi‘ism.” The Muslim World 90
(2000): 459-77.

Book Articles:
"Maqasid al-Shari’a in Contemporary Shi'i
Jurisprudence" in
Maqasid al-Shari’a in Contemporary Reformist
Thinking,
edited by Adis Duderija, Taurus (forthcoming in 2014)
"Muhammad
Through Western Eyes" in
Mohammed in History, Thought, and Culture: An
Encyclopedia of the Prophet of God
(2 volumes), Fitzpatrick, C. & Walker, A. (Eds.), ABC-CLIO
(forthcoming in 2013)
"Contemporary
Challenges for American Shi'is" edited by Haydar al-Khoei
(forthcoming in 2013).
“Shi’ite Muslims,” in
The [Oxford] Handbook of American Islam,
edited by Yvonne Haddad and Jane Smith, (forthcoming in 2013).
“Then and Now: A History of Ijtihad in Twelver
Shi’ism,” in Shi’i Historiography, ed. Abbas Ahmadvand,
(forthcoming in 2012).
“Ijtihad and the Derivation of New Rulings in
Contemporary Shi’ism” in Alternative
Islamic Discourses and Religious Authority,
ed. Carool Kersten, Ashgate, (forthcoming 2012).
“Idealization or Realization: The Methodology of Ayatullah al-Khu'i
in his Mu`jam al- Rijal,” in Text and Tradition: Post-16th
Century Shii Scholarship, ed. Ahab Bdaiwi, Edinburgh University
Press, forthcoming 2012.
"The Shi‘ite Tradition in Islam,” in World Religions:
Communities and Cultures, ed. Jacob Neusner, Abingdon Press,
2010.
"The Prophet Muhammad: Exemplary Model," In Great Prophet
Muhammad (S.A.W) Eternal Light, Imtiyaz Yusuf (ed.). Bangkok:
Cultural Center, 2009.
"The Concepts of the Absolute and Perfect Man in Mulla Fayd al-Kashani,"
Tehran Conference on Mulla Fayd Kashani, 2009.
“To Vote or not to Vote: The Politicization of American Islam,”
In Politics and Religion in France and the United States, eds.
John Kelsay, Alec Hargreaves and Sumner B. Twiss. Lexington:
Lexington Books, 2007.
“From Bid‘a to Sunna: The Wilaya of ‘Ali in the Shi‘i Adhan.” In
Shi’ism: Critical Concepts in Islamic Studies, ed. Paul Luft and
Colin Turner. Routeledge, 2007.
“Peace and Conflict Resolution in the Islamic Tradition.” In
Religion, Terrorism and Globalization, Nonviolence: A New
Agenda, ed. K. Kuriakose. New York: Nova Science Publishers,
2006.
“Charismatic Appeal or Communitas? Visitation to the Shrines of
the Imams.” In Contesting Rituals: Islam and Practices of
Identity-Making, ed. Pamela J. Stewart and Andrew Strathern.
Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2005.
“Multiple Identities in a Pluralistic World: Shi‘ism in
America.” In Muslims in the West: From Sojourners to Citizens,
ed. Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, 218-32. New York: Oxford University
Press, 2002.
“Evolution in the Biographical Profiles of Two Hadith
Transmitters.” In The Shi‘ite Heritage, ed. Lynda Clarke,
285-99. Binghamton, NY: Global Press, 2001.
“Shi‘i Institutes in North America.” In Ahlul Bayt Assembly of
America: Abstract of Proceedings Convention of 1996, ed. Sayyed
M. Hejazi & A. Hashim, 103-09. Beltsville, MD: International
Graphics, 1997.

Articles in Encyclopedias:
The
[Oxford] Encyclopedia of Islam and Women,
ed.
Natana DeLong-Bas,
Oxford, 2013
S.v. "Judgement, Final."
Encyclopedia
of Psychology and Religion,
(2nd Ed.), Springer, 2013
S.v. "Muslim Shiites."
Encyclopedia of Indian
Religions, Springer, 2012
S.v. "Khojas."
"Taqiyya."
Encyclopedia
of the Islamic World,
Tehran, 2012
S.v. “Imami Khojas.”
“Dar al-Salaam.”
“Kilwa.”
World Book Encyclopedia, ed. Dawn Krajcik, 2011
S.v. “Islam.”
“Muslims.”
Encyclopedia Iranica, ed. Ahmad Ashraf, 2011
S.v. " Kashshi, Abu Amr Mohammad." Fascicle 1 of Vol. XV1
2011
Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History ed. I Curtis. Facts on
File, 2010
S.v. “Shi‘a American Muslims.”
World Book Encyclopedia ed. Dawn Krajcik. 2009
S.v. “Ashura.”
“Agha Khan.”
“Jinns.”
Encyclopedia of Islam in America, ed. Jocelyne Cesari. Greenwood
Press, 2007.
S. v. “Shi‘a Communities.”
“Khomeini, Ayatollah.”
“Seestani, Ayatollah.”
Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures, ed. Suad Joseph.
Koninklijke: Brill, 2004.
S.v. “Women, Gender and Islamic Law,”
“Women, Gender and Islamic Law – Additional Schools.”
Encyclopedia of Holy People, ed. Phyllis Jestice. Santa Barbara,
CA: ABC-CLIO, 2004.
S.v. “‘Ali b. Husayn Zayn al-‘Abidin,”
“Hasan b. ‘Ali,”
“Husayn b. ‘Ali,”
“Ja‘far al-Sadiq.”
Encyclopedia of the Qur’an, ed. Jane D. McAuliffe. Leiden:
Brill, 2004.
S.v. “Samson”
“Saul.”
Encyclopedia of Religion and War, ed. Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez.
New York: Routledge, 2004.
S.v. “Islam - Shi‘a.”
Religion and American Cultures: An Encyclopedia of Traditions,
Diversity, and Popular Expression, ed. Gary Laderman and Luis
Léon. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2003. S.v. “Shi‘ite
Movements.”
The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, ed. John Esposito. New York:
Oxford University, 2003. S.v. “Banu al-Nadir,” “Banu Isra‘il,”
“Banu Qurayza,” “Quraysh,” “Qusayy,” “Sujud,” “Tashahhud,” “Thamud,”
“Wajib.”
Encyclopedia of Islam and the Modern World, ed. Richard C.
Martin. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2003.
S.v. “An-Nafs al-Zakiyya”
“Ja‘far al-Sadiq.”

Articles
on Internet
“The Ground Zero Mosque Controversy: Implications
for American Islam”
2011
http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/2/2/132/pdf
"Women in Judaism, Christianity and Islam: A comparative
perspective"
Seminar on "Women in Other Traditions" University of Isfahan,
2006
http://www.islamwomen.org/EngIW/ResDetails.aspx?id=306

Book reviews:
Review of Scripturalist Islam: The History and Doctrines of the
Akhbari Shi'i School, by Robert Gleave. Journal of Shi'a Islamic
Studies, 3, no. 4 (2010).
Review of British Muslim Converts : Choosing Alternative Lives,
by Kate Zebiri. Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies, 2, no.3 (2009)
Review of Reliving Karbala, by Syed Hyder. American Journal of
Islamic Social Sciences, 26, no. 3 (2009)
Review of The Shi‘is of Iraq, by Yitzhak Nakash. The Muslim
World, 97, no. 3 (2007)
Review of The Twelver Shi‘a as a Muslim Minority in India:
Pulpit of Tears, by Toby
Howarth. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies,
70. no. 2 (2007).
Review of Islam: Its History, Teaching, and Practices, by S. A.
Nigosian. Journal of the American Academy of Religion 74, no. 2
(2006).
Review of The Crisis of Muslim History, by Mahmoud Ayoub.
Journal of the American Academy of Religion 73, no. 3 (2005).
Review of Muslims: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices, by
Andrew Rippin. Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory 2, no.
3 (2001).
http://www.jcrt.org/archives/02.3/index.html?page=takim.shtml

CONFERENCE PAPERS
2012: "Diasporic Jurisprudence and Shi'i Law in
America" Williams College, Williamstown
2012: "Qur'anic Interpretation in Modern Times,"
International Society for Iranian Studies, Istanbul,
Turkey
2012: "Revival of
Religious Thought: Ijtihad and the Re-evaluation of Classical
Texts in Modern Times," Hawaii International Conference on
Social Sciences, Honolulu
2012: The Islamic Response to Arab Shi'i
Thought," Texas A&M University, College Station
2011:
"Myth or Reality: Ayatullah al-Khu'i and the Ten Readers of the
Qur'an," Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, San
Francisco
2011: "The Study of Shi'ite Islam in North American
Universities," Conference held at Hartford Seminary, Connecticut
2011: “Shi’ism in the Post-911 World” London Middle East
Institute, Conference held at the School of Oriental and African
Studies (SOAS), London, England
2011: “The Shi’i Minority in the American Diaspora” Conference
held at the University of Isfahan
2011: "The Qur'an in the West," Universal Muslim Association of
America, Toronto
2011: "Islamic Pluralism and the Challenge of Human Rights,"
Carleton University, Ottawa
2011: “Idealization or Realization; The Methodology of Ayatullah
al-Khu’i in
Mu’jam al-Rijal," Conference held at the School of Oriental and
African Studies
(SOAS), London, England
2011: "Islam and the Challenge of Human Rights," University
of Mary Washington
2011: "Islam in the American Diaspora: A Minority Perspective,"
McMaster University
2010: "Religion in Diaspora," University of Edinburgh, Scotland
2010: "Reformation or Reinterpretation: Rethinking Shi‘i
Jurisprudence and Legal Methodology," al-Khoei Foundation,
London, England
2010: “Imamology and the Shrine Culture in Twelver Shi’ism,”
Liminal Deities of South Asia, Conference held at Niagara on the
Lake, Canada
2010: "9/11 and the Shi'i Image," Universal Muslim Association
of America, Washington
2010: "Messianism in the Monotheistic Traditions," Sixth
Mahdiism Conference, Bright Future Institute, Tehran
2010: "Revival of Religious Thought: Ijtihad and the
Re-evaluation of Classical Texts in Modern Times," 20th World
Congress of the International Association for the History of
Religions (IAHR), University of Toronto
2010: “The Meta-Minority Complex: The Shi’i Experience in
America” McMaster
University
2009: "A Minority with Diversity: The Shi‘i Experience in
America" Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University
2008: “Islam in the American University” Project on “Religion in
the Academy” (RITA) Sponsored by the Lilly Foundation, Annual
Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, Chicago
2008: “Revival of Religious Thought: The Re-evaluation of
Classical Texts by
Contemporary Shi‘i Jurists” Annual Meeting of the American
Academy of Religion, Chicago
2008: “Teaching Islam in a post 9/11 world” Symposium on
Religion on the Secular University Campus, University of Denver
2008: “Musa al-Sadr and the Impact of Modernity on Shi‘i
Jurisprudence” Conference on: “The Shia, Modernity, and the
Legacy of Musa al-Sadr.” University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2008: “Reformation or Reinterpretation: Islamic Law in America”
AAR Great Plains Region Conference, Denver
2008: “From Conflict to Co-existence: The Application of Islamic
Law in a Minority Context” Symposium at Carthage College
2007: “Preserving or Extending Boundaries: The Black Shi‘is of
America” Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, San
Diego
2007: “Islamic Fundamentalism in America” Institute of Oriental
Studies, Azerbaijan
2007: “Muslim Women in America” Islamic University, Baku, Azerbaijan
2007: “Muslim Life in America” American Studies Center of the
Foreign Languages University, Baku, Azerbaijan
2007: “Institutionalization and the Politicization of American
Islam,” Baku State University, Baku, Azerbaijan
2007: “Interpretation of Islamic Sacred Texts in the American
Diaspora,” Khazar University, Baku, Azerbaijan
2007: “A Minority within a Minority: The Black Shi‘is of
America” Breaking
Apart the Monolith: The Many Ways of Being Muslim - A Conference
Exploring
the Dynamics of Muslim Identity in Today’s World held at
Princeton University
2007: “ Revival of Religious Thought: Ijtihad and the
Re-evaluation of Classical Texts in Modern Times” American
Council for the Study of Islamic Societies
2006: “Gender and Islamic Civilization: The Contribution of
Muslim Women to Islamic Sciences and Civilization” University of
Isfahan, Tehran
2006: “The Religious Other in America: The Deterritorialization
and Deculturation of American Muslims,” Symposium held at
Colorado College, Colorado Springs
2006 “The Danish Cartoons in Islamic Hadith Literature.” Annual
Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, Washington
2006 “Closing the Interpretive Process: Toward a New Qur’anic
Hermeneutic.” University of Nevada, Las Vegas
2006 “Women in the three Monotheistic Traditions and in Islamic
Law,” Conference held in Tehran, Iran
2006 “Conversion and Proselytizing: Balancing Religious Freedom
and Respect.”
Symposium, University of Denver
2006 “Islam, the West and the Cartoon Controversy: Religious
Sensitivities vs.
Secular Liberties.” Symposium, University of Denver
2006 “The Ten Commandments in Islamic Exegetical Literature: A
Comparative
Perspective.” Lubar Institute for the Study of the Abrahamic
Religions at UW-
Madison
2006 “The Indigenization of American Islam: Muslims in the
American Diaspora.” US Northcom Academic Conference
2005 “The Politicization of American Islam.” Politics and
Religion in France and the United States, International
Conference, Winthrop-King Institute for Contemporary French and
Francophone Studies in association with the Department of
Religion, Florida State University
2005 “American Muslims or Muslims in America: Muslims as the
‘Other’.” Eighth Annual Honors Conference, Metro State College,
Denver
2005 “The Power of Islamic Sacred Texts Today.” Religious
Leadership Conference, Iliff School of Theology, Denver
2004 “Discovering the Hidden Treasure: Creation in the Islamic
Tradition.” Third Furlong Memorial Lecture, “Creation in
Judaism, Christianity and Islam” symposium, St. Michael’s
College, University of Toronto, Canada
2004 “Human Rights in the Qur’an and Shari‘a: A Comparative
Perspective.” University of Nevada, Las Vegas
2004 “Muslim Youth at the Crossroads: Advancing into the
Twenty-First Century.” Islamic Social Services Association
Conference, Toronto, Canada
2004 “Revival of Religious Thought: The Thoughts and
Contribution of Ayatullah Mutahhari.” International Conference,
Tehran, Iran
2004 “The Mental Jihad: Reason and Revelation in the Islamic
Tradition.” Seminar held at the Iliff School of Theology,
Denver, CO
2004 “Holy Peace in the Islamic Tradition.” Columbia University,
NY
2003 “Muslim-Christian Dialogue: Past, Present and Future.”
Macdonald Center Lecturers in Christian-Muslim Understanding,
Hartford Seminary, Hartford, CT
2003 “Challenging the Authority of Tradition and Texts: Ijtihad
and Taqlid in Modern Times.” American Academy of Religion
regional meeting, Boulder, CO
2002 “Biography as Literary Genre: The Struggle for Authority in
Shi‘i Rijal Texts.” Annual Meeting of the American Academy of
Religion, Toronto, Canada
2002 “Re-evaluation of the Shari‘a Post-September 11: Islam and
Modernity.” Furlong Memorial Lecture, “Understanding Islam”
symposium, St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto, Canada
2002 “Violence and Healing: Facing the Ongoing Challenges of
September 11.” Colloquium held at the Iliff School of Theology,
Denver, CO
2002 “Aging in the Islamic Tradition.” The National Council on
the Aging, Denver, CO
2001 “Islam in America after September 11.” Kanuga Conference on
Christian-Muslim Understanding, Ashville, NC
2001 “Islam in the Context of American Religious Diversity.” Res
Publica Conference, Aspen, CO
2000 “Promise & Peril: Religion at the Millenium.” Conference on
The Many Faces of God, New Hampshire Humanities Council,
Manchester, NH
2000 “Preserving or Extending Religious Boundaries? Muslim
Proselytization in America.” Islamic Education Council,
Washington, D.C.
1998 “Acculturation and Assimilation – Muslims in the Diaspora.”
Colloquium held at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada.
1998 “Religious Pluralism and Human Rights: An Islamic
Perspective.” Grinnell College, Iowa
1997 “Acculturation and Assimilation – Muslims in the West,”
Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, San
Francisco
1997 “Contemporary Muslim Polemics.” MESA Conference, San
Francisco
1997 “Exclusivism or Inclusivism? Salvation History in the
Qur’an.” Agnes Scott College, Atlanta, GA
1997 “External Influences on American Muslims.” Presented at a
conference on Jews and Muslims in the American context, The
Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim
Relations, Hartford Seminary, Hartford, CT
1996 “From Bid‘a to Sunna: The Case of the Wilaya of ‘Ali in the
Shi‘i adhan.” Annual Meeting of the American Academy of
Religion, New Orleans, LA
1995 “The Origins of Islamic Biographical Literature” Annual
Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, Philadelphia, PA
1994 “Religious Pluralism in the Qur’an.” Eastern International
Region of the American Academy of Religion, University of Quebec
at Montreal, Canada
1994 “The Case of the Holy Disciples. Annual Meeting of the
American Academy of Religion, Chicago
1993 “Authority and the Struggle for Legitimacy.” University of
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
1993 “The Ethics of Self Realization: an Islamic Perspective.”
Institute of Global Cultural Studies, State University of New
York, Binghamton, NY
1990 “The Origins and Development of Imami Biographical Texts.”
School of Oriental & African Studies, London

PUBLIC LECTURES
2010:
"Diversity and Change: An Islamic Dilemma" Organization for
Islamic Learning, Toronto, Canada
2010: “Mammetry and Mahomet: Depiction of the Prophet in Western
European Literature” Bait al-ilm, Chicago
2008: "Reformation or Transformation: Islamic Law in Transition"
Shi'a Ithna'aseri Community of Middlesex, London, England
2008 “Teaching Islam in a Post-9/11 World” Muslim Student
Association, University of Colorado
2008 “From Majority to Minority: The Jurisprudence of Muslim
Minority Communities” Islamic Center, Los Angeles
2007 “The Islamization of American Immigrant Islam” Muslim
Student Association, University of Denver
2007 “History and Narratives in Qur’anic Exegesis” Islamic
Center, Nairobi, Kenya
2006 “Reformation in Islamic Jurisprudence: The Question of
Punishment in Islamic Law,” Universal Muslim Association of
America, Virginia
2005 “From Muslims in America to American Muslims.” Universal
Muslim Association of America, Washington, D.C.
2005 “Is Islam Synonymous with Terrorism?” The City Club, Denver
2005 “Progressive Muslims in the American Milieu.” Bates
College, Maine
2004 “The Cool Dudes: Muslim Youth in Transition.” Universal
Muslim Association of America, Washington, D.C.
2004 “Reflecting Black: Islam in Africa and Antebellum America.”
University of Toronto, Canada
2004 “The Shi‘i Vision: Reason and Reformation in Shi‘ism.”
University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus, Canada
2004 “Faith and Belief: An Islamic Perspective.” Ja‘faria
Islamic Center, Burtonsville, MD
2003 “Re-evaluation of Islamic Law post September 11: Islam and
Modernity.” Faculty Luncheon, University of Denver, Denver, CO
2003 “From 911 to 711: The Islamic Experience in the West.”
Orientation Lecture, University of Denver, Denver, CO
2003 “Unity or Uniformity: Islam and the Question of
Reformation.” al-Iman Islamic Center, Seattle, WA
2002 “A Minority within a Minority: The Muslim Youth Culture in
Contemporary America.” Ja‘fariya Islamic Center, Burtonsville,
MD
2000 “Integration, Isolation, or Insulation? The Muslims of
America.” University of Miami, Miami, FL
2000 “A Viable Qur’anic Hermeneutic for Muslims in the New
Millennium.” Auckland, New Zealand
1999 “Qur’anic Exegesis and Women’s Right to Divorce.” Islamic
House of Wisdom, Detroit, MI
1997 “The Muslims as the ‘Other’ in North America.” Conference
on Muslims in America, Ja‘fariya Islamic Center, Burtonsville,
MD
1997 “Drawing Boundaries in America: The Muslim Identity.”
Islamic Society of North America, Indianapolis, IN
1996 “Ethno-cultural Identity: Muslim Institutes in America.”
Islamic Center, Washington, D.C.
1993 “Child Custody and Family Support: A Re-evaluation of
Traditional Islamic Sources.” Conference held by the Canadian
Council of Muslim Women, Toronto, Canada

AWARDS AND GRANTS
2007 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title for “The Heirs of the
Prophet:
Charisma and Religious Authority in Shi‘ite Islam”
2006 Professional Research Opportunity for Faculty (PROF) grant,
University of Denver
2006 Internationalization Small Grants, University of Denver
2005 Research Grant, Denver Foundation
2004 Internationalization Small Grants, University of Denver
2003 Faculty Research Fund, University of Denver
1990 Central Research Fund and Scholarships Committee, School of
Oriental & African Studies

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS/HONORS
The Center for Global Understanding - Board Member
American Academy of Religion
Theta Alpha Kappa (National Honor Society for Religious Studies
and Theology)
Editorial Board
Shi'a Affairs Journal: International Dialogue Series
The Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies
LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE
Native Speaker: English, Swahili and Gujarati
Classical Languages: Arabic, Urdu and Persian
UNIVERSITY SERVICE
Elected Faculty Committee (Advisory Board to the Dean,
University of Denver)
Supervised thesis of several graduate students
Professional Research Opportunity for Faculty (PROF) Grant
Committee
Member of pre-Tenure committee - Religious Studies, University
of Denver - 2008-2009
Member of Search Committee, lecturer in Arabic, University of
Denver - 2008-2009
Tenure and Promotion Committee, University of Denver 2006 - 2009
Director of Master’s Program in the Department of Religious
Studies, 2004 - 2006
Committee member for the DU/Iliff Joint Ph.D Program, Autumn
2004 - 2006
Member of five Ph.D. dissertation committees for the DU/Iliff
Joint Ph.D. Program, Spring 2004 - present
Committee member, “Bridges to the Future —The American Dream
Revisited” 2002-2005
Member of search committee for position in Judaic/Religious
Studies Program, Fall/Winter 2004-2005
EXTERNAL EXAMINER:
Wendy Jane Isaaac-Martin, “A Violent Origin: A Girardian
Analysis of the Scapegoating of Ali ibn Abu Talib in Shi’ite
Tradiiton, (Ph. D Thesis, University of Cape Town, 2008)
Linda Darwish “Texts of Tension, Spaces of Empowerment: Migrant
Muslims and the Limits of Shi’ite Legal Discourse” (Ph. D
Thesis, Concordia University, 2009)
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Member of Human Services Committee of the Denver Foundation 2003
- 2007
Member of Denver’s Faith Community Initiative to End
Homelessness (Mayor John Hickenlooper’s Faith Based Initiative)
2005 - present
Member of the Advisory Board of The Muslim Observer (weekly
newsletter published in Detroit) 1997 - present
Chairman of the Islamic Education Board of North America 1996 -
2004
Member of Council of ‘Ulama (Muslim Scholars) of North America
1997 - present
Advisor to the Imams’ Council of Toronto 1994 - 2004
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