Categories : News

Hikmat International Institute:

‘It is with deep sorrow that we received the news of the passing of Dr. Abdulaziz Sachedina [3 December, 2025]. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, students, and all those whose lives were touched by his scholarship and character. May God grant him forgiveness, mercy, and everlasting peace.
Dr. Sachedina was a distinguished scholar whose contributions to Islamic thought—particularly in Shi‘i theology—continue to influence and inspire. We at the Hikmat International Institute were honored to host him as an instructor during our 2021 International Intensive Academic Course on Shi‘i Studies, where he delivered an insightful and memorable session on “Doctrine of Imam Mahdi and the Occultation.”
In honor of his legacy, and so that students, researchers, and all those interested in academic Islamic studies may benefit from his work, we are making this session available to the public. The lecture can now be viewed on the official YouTube channel of the Hikmat International Institute.’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HABa778NB3U

See also: https://x.com/themaydan/status/1996370470091018395

See also:
‘Saudi MBS Kissing up to Anti-Christian Extremists’ – The Institute for Gulf Affairs

The HIAA (Historians of Islamic Art Association) Board is extremely sad to announce that Sheila Canby, former HIAA President 2014-2016, has passed away. Our thoughts are with her friends, family, and loved ones. Please see her obituary below, provided by her colleagues at the Department of Islamic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art:

The Department of Islamic Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art mourns the loss of Sheila Canby, Curator Emerita and former Curator in Charge of the Department from 2009 to 2019. She was a scholar in the field of Persian art and culture, with a vibrant career as a museum professional. She received her BA from Vassar College and her MA and PhD from Harvard University.

Before joining The Met, Sheila Canby was Curator of Islamic Art and Antiquities at the British Museum and held curatorial and research positions at the Brooklyn Museum, Los Angeles County Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Fogg Art Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Her research and contributions to the field of Safavid art have left an enduring legacy. Throughout the course of her career Dr. Canby organized dozens of exhibitions and installations and authored numerous articles, encyclopedia entries, reviews and books. Her exhibitions and publications include: Princes, Poets and Paladins: Islamic and Indian Paintings from Collection of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan (1998); Rebellious Reformer: The Paintings and Drawings of Riza-yi Abbasi of Isfahan (1999); The Golden Age of Persian Art (1999); Islamic Art in Detail (2005), Shah Abbas: The Remaking of Iran (2009); The Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp: The Persian Book of Kings (2011); Hunt for Paradise; Court Arts of Safavid Iran,1501-1576 (2003), Court and Cosmos: The Great Age of the Seljuqs (2016) and Masterpieces of Islamic Art from the Farjam Collection (2024).

In 2012 Sheila Canby won the Farabi book award for The Golden Age of Persian Art. She served on the Board of the American Institute of Iranian Studies, on the Cultural Committee of Asia House in London, on the Council of the British Institute of Persian Studies, the Society for Iranian Studies, as well as on the Advisory Council of the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, and she was also a fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society,

The Department of Islamic Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Incidents of Anti-Shiism, April 2025

See also The New York Times, which article is behind a wall.

The Imam Zainul Abideen Legal Internship for the Freedom of Unjust Prisoners
“The one who strives to free a believer from captivity, Allah will free him from the Fire” (Wasā’il al-Shīa, vol. 16, p. 18)
In this blessed month of Ramadhan, the American Muslim Bar Association (AMBA) is pleased to announce the establishment of the Imam Zainul Abideen Legal Internship for the Freedom of Unjust Prisoners.
In Islamic tradition, if someone is wrongfully imprisoned, it is obligatory upon the community to work for their release. In this spirit and ever since its inception, AMBA has worked on cases involving the unjust imprisonment of Muslim prisoners by providing legal support, culturally competent insight to defense teams, fundraising, rallying community and organizational support from allies, leading advocacy efforts, and writing statements of support. These efforts led to the successful resolution and release of two Muslim community members who had been unjustly imprisoned.
Over the past year, AMBA has been working with a family in NY whose son has been unjustly imprisoned in the People’s Republic of China for the past 7 years on a life sentence. To bolster these efforts, AMBA is launching the Imam Zainul Abideen paid internship to be filled by a rising or current second-year or third-year law student.
Imam Zainul Abideen (peace be upon him), the great grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), was unjustly imprisoned by the tyrant of his time following the seminal battle of Karbala, Iraq in the year 680 AD. It was his patience, fortitude, and indomitable spirit which eventually led not only to his own freedom but the fall of the same tyrant only a few years later.
AMBA is accepting applications for the internship immediately.
Please email your resume, an email/letter of interest and 2 references (1 from a law professor or attorney; 1 from a community leader) to info@ambalegal.org.
Job Description: The Imam Zainul Abideen Legal Intern will engage in one or more of the following: advocacy efforts with government agencies, set meetings with elected officials, liaise with human rights and prisoners’ rights organizations, organize PR campaigns on social media, and work directly with affected families and their defense attorneys to help secure release of their innocent loved ones, all with guidance from the AMBA President. This will involve becoming familiar with the details of the legal case of the imprisoned community member, having excellent writing and editing skills, social media expertise, and a sincere interest in advocating for the unjustly imprisoned.
Requirements: 2L or 3L at an accredited US law school, with excellent academic credentials and a demonstrated interest in advocacy, human rights, criminal justice or related fields.
Commitment: 5-10 hours per week
Location: Fully remote
Compensation: $18/hr
Deadline: March 30th, 2025/Ramadhan 30th, 1446
Contact: info@ambalegal.org