Archive for April 14th, 2026

1. HYBRID World Policy Forum: “What is Sharia Law, and is it a Threat to Our Democracy?”,

Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID), Washington DC, 22 April 2026, 16:00 – 17:30 CET

Bringing together leading scholars of Islamic law, theology, and constitutional law, the discussion will address widespread misconceptions about Sharia and provide a grounded understanding of its principles, sources, and diverse interpretations. Panelists will engage key questions related to free-dom of religion, freedom of expression, and the relationship between religious legal traditions and modern democratic systems.

Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/mvrwuayh

 

 

 

 

 

2. HYBRID Lecture “New Excavations at Nessana, Negev: Late Antique Pilgrimage Hub on the Desert Fringe” by Yana Tchekhanovets (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev), W. F. Al-bright Institute of Archaeological Research, Jerusalem, 29 April 2026, 18:30 CET

The ancient settlement of Nessana, located in the southwestern Negev, on the modern Israeli-Egyp-tian border, is a key site for the study of early Christian pilgrimage. Serving as the main caravan hub on the Christian pilgrimage road from the Holy Land to Sinai, Nessana enjoys all the economic benefits of the sacred route and develops into a flourishing urbanized village with caravanserais and numerous churches.

Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/3z2ayuh2

 

 

 

 

 

3. Postdoctoral Research Fellow Position (12 Months) in Arabic and Islamic Studies / History of Islamic Law, Institut de recherche et d’histoire des textes, Aubervilliers, France

Skills: PhD in Islamic Studies. – Ability to work with legal sources in Arabic. – Ability to read and interpret Arabic manuscript scripts. – Excellent command of historical and philological methodolo-gies. – Excellent knowledge of the intellectual history of the Muslim West, particularly the develop-ment of law and theology. – Excellent command of Classical Arabic and of the terminology of the Islamic religious sciences. – Strong command of English; knowledge of Spanish would be an asset.

Deadline for applications: 24 April 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/ydfy8hem

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Post-Doc Position (30 Months) for the Critical Edition with Annotated English Translation of Musky Aromas, MOSAIC Project, UCLouvain, Belgium

Qualification: PhD in Islamic Studies, in Middle Eastern Studies, or related fields. – Excellent com-mand of Classical Arabic (the knowledge of additional languages such as Persian and Turkish is considered an advantage). – Academic writing and presentation skills in English (the working lan-guage of the project). – Ability to work both individually and as part of a team.

Deadline for applications: 10 June 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/2axtd8ufv

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Two Open Rank Faculty Positions in Islamic Ethics, Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar

We are seeking dynamic scholars whose work bridges the Islamic scholarly tradition with contem-porary moral challenges. We are particularly interested in candidates who can bring fresh perspec-tives to both theoretical and applied Islamic ethics across diverse disciplines.

Deadline for applications: 25 April 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/ycx3ktsp

 

 

 

 

 

6. Scholarships for the “MA in Iranian Studies”, SOAS, University of London

A number of scholarships are available for UK/EU and Overseas fee-paying SOAS students, covering the cost of tuition fees for two years.

Deadline for applications: 24 April 2026. Information: “Kamran Djam Scholarships” (https://ti-nyurl.com/yjzb6wss) & “Shapoorji Pallonji Scholarships” (https://tinyurl.com/4zdtcxhe).

 

 

 

 

 

7. Interdisciplinary Webinar Series & Edited Volume on “American Islam at 250: Community, Authority, and Futurity in the American Muslim Experience”, Florida International University & East-West Foundation, July – December 2026

This series convenes historians, political scientists, religious studies scholars, sociologists, anthropologists, legal scholars, theologians, and public intellectuals for a rigorous, eight-episode examination of the American Muslim community as it is today and as it might become. The series is organized topically, with each episode addressing a defining dimension of contemporary American Muslim life.

Deadline for abstracts: 15 May 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4m54whdp

 

 

 

 

 

8. New Book: “Al-Bukhārī. The Life, Theology and Legal Thought of Islam’s Foremost Traditionist” by Belal Abu-Alabbas, Edinburgh University Press, April 2026, 328 Pages

The first comprehensive critical biography of Muhammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī (d. 256/870) stands as one of the most distinguished figures in Islamic intellectual history. His magnum opus, the Ṣaḥīḥ, is revered as the most authoritative collection of Prophetic traditions in Sunni Islam and is the most cited book in Islamic history.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdhzzpf4

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. New Book: “Le hobyot: Description grammaticale d’une langue sudarabique modern” by Ali Manoubi, Brill, Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics, Volume: 115, April 2026, 368 Pages

Hobyot, a Semitic language of the Modern South Arabian group, is spoken by a few thousand speak-ers in eastern Yemen and southern Oman. With no written tradition and facing imminent extinction, it remains one of the least documented languages in the region. This study offers the first compre-hensive linguistic description of Hobyot, based on dedicated field research.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/yyhywrje

 

 

 

10. New Book: “Religion and the Invisible World: Sanctity and Spiritual Transformation in Egypt from Pharaonic Times to the Present” by Fadwa El Guindi, American University in Cairo Press, 2026, 252 Pages

Drawing on historical and ethnographic material, this book shows how concepts of sacredness, sanctity and invisibility (Ghaib in Islam) have been core elements in the spiritual transformations in Egypt as embodied in the early pharaonic religion, Egyptian-Hellenistic religion, Christianity, and Islam, and how these practices of spirituality and cosmology cut across many divides of ethnicity, gender, region, religion, language, and social class.

Information: https://aucpress.com/9781649033710/

 

 

 

11. Zahedi Family Fellowship at Stanford Iranian Studies

Application deadline: May 1, 2026 

Fellowship period: fall 2026

 

The Zahedi Family Fellowship is a twelve-week residential fellowship focusing on the Zahedi Archive (which includes both diplomatic correspondence and collected photos) at Stanford University’s Hamid and Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies and the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

During the fellowship period, the Zahedi Fellow is expected to pursue their independent research in residency and to hold a lecture, seminar or workshop on their research, organized by the Iranian Studies Program. The Zahedi fellow will have access to Stanford University Libraries and the Hoover Institution Library and Archives as well as a community of scholars at Stanford.

The fellowship funds international travel, health insurance, visa support, and a $15,000 stipend for living expenses.

Fluency in Persian and a terminal degree, or equivalent experience, is required. “All but dissertation” status PhD students are eligible to apply. The fellowship is open to scholars and artists working on the modern history of Iran, particularly the period of 1941 to 1979. Preference will be given to scholars who have worked on aspects of modern Iranian foreign policy, history, and culture.

 

 

 

 

 

12. Zoom: The Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies and Invisible East present ‘Rethinking History: Returning to Archives and Documents’, a series of monthly online seminars.

Convened by Arezou Azad and Mohamad Tavakoli, the seminars are held on Zoom.
Please join us on Wednesday 15 April at 12PM EDT / 5PM BST to hear Dr Márton Vér of
Universität Hamburgspeaking on ‘The Old Uyghur Documents and a Global Microhistory of the Silk Roads’. Pre-registration is essential.

 

 

 

 

 

13. Hybrid book talk, with Daniel Majchrowicz:

‘Travel Writing and the Global Imagination in Muslim South Asia’

Friday, April 17 2:30-4:00PM EST, Library of Congress

In this book talk, Daniel Majchrowicz, will discuss his recent study of the history of travel writing in South Asia, The World in Words Travel Writing and the Global Imagination in Muslim South Asia (Cambridge University Press, 2023). Focusing particularly on writing in Urdu, this talk will show how the travelogue gave voice to a global imagination that reflected the ambition and aspiration of Indians and Pakistanis as they negotiated their place in the changing world of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Registration for the Zoom event is through the following link:

https://bit.ly/world-in-words-speaker.

 

 

 

 

14. Study Persian in Armenia

ASPIRANTUM’s 2026 Persian Language Summer School in Yerevan and would appreciate it if you could circulate this opportunity among your students and networks.
The program offers 6–10 weeks (120–200 hours) of intensive Modern Persian. Instruction is available at upper elementary and intermediate levels, focusing strongly on all core language skills in small groups.
The program also includes cultural excursions and activities across Armenia.
Full details and application:
https://aspirantum.com/courses/persian-language-summer-school
Application deadline: May 1, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

15. Brown University – Visiting Assistant Professor of Islam in South Asia

https://networks.h-net.org/jobs/69958/brown-university-visiting-assistant-professor-islam-south-asia

 

 

16. Hybrid: Annonce colloque (15-16 avril 2026) : “Pouvoir, cultures et sociétés des steppes en contexte ouest-eurasiatique (Afghanistan, Asie centrale, Iran)
Les mercredi 15 et jeudi 16 avril se tiendra le colloque « Pouvoir, cultures et sociétés des steppes en contexte ouest-eurasiatique (Afghanistan, Asie centrale, Iran) », à la Maison de la recherche de l’INaLCO, 2 rue de Lille, 75006 Paris, dans l’auditorium Georges Dumézil.

Ce colloque est organisé dans le cadre des activités de la Chaire Porfesseur Junior “Afghanistan” de l’INaLCO, avec le concours du CeRMI, du CRCAO, de la DAFA, du GIS Asie et de l’INaLCO.

Veuillez trouver le programme sur le site web du CeRMI.

L’entrée est libre dans la limite des places disponibles.

Zoom:  https://zoom.us/j/97920962767