SEMINAR

TO COMMEMORATE THE MARTYRDOM OF

IMAM ALI (a.s.)

SUNDAY 9th MARCH 2025 – 2:00 PM

VENUE – ROYAL ACAEMY OF MUSIC

DAVID JOSEFOWITZ RECITAL HALL

MARYLEBONE ROAD, LONDON NW1 5HT

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN VENUE THIS YEAR

Tube stations: Regent’s Park, Baker Street

Chair: Professor Justin Jones

Justin Jones is Associate Professor in the Study of Religion in the Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Oxford, and specialises in South Asian Islam. His previous published research has focused upon Shi’i Islam in South Asia, including themes such as Shi’i clerical revivalism, religious writing and practice, martyrology, and Shi’i politics. He is the author of Shi’a Islam in Colonial India: Religion, Community and Sectarianism (Cambridge University Press, 2012), the editor of The Shi’a of South Asia: Religion, History and Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2014), as well as having written various articles and other publications in this field.

Gulamabbas Lakha

Developing Islamic AI: Balancing Mental Health Benefits and Theological Risks

Gulamabbas Lakha takes a multi-disciplinary approach to research and teaching at Oxford. His doctorate in Psychiatry investigates mental health applications of Islamic concepts and practices, including empirical work on depression in the UK Muslim population. He serves as a tutor in Psychology of Religion and leads seminars on Neuroscience of Religious Experience, including supervising medical students and postgraduates. In addition, he also teaches Christian-Muslim relations and psychotherapy from Old Testament and Islamic psalms, having previously undertaken research on comparative neuroimaging of dhikr and secular mindfulness practices. His first degree in Economics & Econometrics was followed by the Chartered Financial Analyst programme and subsequently founded an investment firm at which he serves as CEO. He later completed four master’s degrees, spanning Psychology and Neuroscience, Theology, Islamic Studies, History and Arabic. Following religious training over two decades, he was accredited as a Shaykh and has lectured on contemporary Islam for fifteen years.

Dr George Warner

The Blunt Arrow and the Two-Pointed Sword: Encountering Imam Ali in Early Islamic Epic

Dr George Warner is a scholar of Islamic studies specialising in Sunni-Shi’a relations, hadith, ritual, and devotional literature in Arabic and Persian. Having completed his BA and MPhil at the University of Cambridge, he received his PhD from SOAS University of London in 2017. He has previously held academic positions at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, SOAS and the University of Exeter, and is currently a research fellow at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London. He has published widely on diverse aspects of Shi’i Islam and its history, including his first book, The Words of the Imams: al-Shaykh al-Saduq and the Development of Twelver Shi’i Hadith Literature, which was published by I. B. Tauris in 2021.

AN OPEN INVITATION

PLEASE BE SEATED BY 2:00 PM

ORGANISER & SPONSOR: THE AHMED FAMILY – C/O MUHAMMADI TRUST (020 8452 1739)

7e Journée d’études sur le chiisme contemporain, EPHE-MSH Paris, 8 novembre 2024, 10h00 – 16h00
Organisateurs: Rainer Brunner (CNRS/LEM) et Constance Arminjon (EPHE/LEM);
Information et programme :
https://iismm.hypotheses.org/files/2024/10/Journe%CC%81eChiisme_EPHE-LEM_2024.pdf

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13530194.2024.2373066?src=exp-la

The Annual Conference on Shi‘i Studies offers an extensive platform for academics and scholars engaged in the study of Shi‘i Islam to present their latest research. This event encourages a dynamic exchange of ideas, facilitating in-depth discussions on Shi‘i thought, practices, and cultural heritage. By bringing together diverse perspectives, the conference aims to advance the academic discourse on Shi’i Studies.

Open to scholars, students, and all interested in Shi‘i Studies, the conference is public but requires prior registration for attendance.

Conference on Shi‘i Studies

SEMINAR

SUNDAY 31st MARCH 2024 – 2:30 PM

VENUE – RUDOLF STEINER HOUSE

35 PARK ROAD, LONDON NW1 6XT

Opposite Mumtaz Restaurant

Tube station: Baker Street

Chair: Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi

Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi is an author in the fields of Islamic Studies and Comparative Religion; Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies; and Managing Editor of Encyclopaedia Islamica. He studied International Relations and Politics at Sussex and Exeter Universities before obtaining his PhD in Comparative Religion from the University of Kent.

Gulamabbas Lakha

Imām ʿAlī (as) on self-sabotage and its remedies

Gulamabbas Lakha takes a multi-disciplinary approach to research and teaching at Oxford. His doctorate in Psychiatry investigates mental health applications of Islamic concepts and practices, including empirical work on depression in the UK Muslim population. He serves as a tutor in Psychology of Religion and leads seminars on Neuroscience of Religious Experience, including supervising medical students and postgraduates. In addition, he also lectures on Christian-Muslim relations, co-founded the Oxford Interfaith Forum, and led Bodleian Library public workshops on psychotherapy in Old Testament and Islamic psalms, having previously undertaken research on comparative neuroimaging of dhikr and secular mindfulness practices. His passion for academic research that has practical applications stems from two decades of business and community work. His first degree in Economics and Econometrics was followed by the Chartered Financial Analyst designation while working in the City, subsequently founding an investment firm at which he serves as CEO. He later completed four master’s degrees, spanning Psychology and Neuroscience, Theology, Islamic Studies, History and Arabic. Following religious training over a number of years, he was accredited as a Shaykh and has been lecturing on contemporary Islam at mosques across the UK and on Muslim TV channels over the last decade.

Farhana Mayer

Qur’anic Principles of Integral Ecology

Farhana Mayer is a published author in her field of Qur’anic Hermeneutics. Her latest publication An Introduction to Qur’anic Ecology and Resonances with Laudato Si’ compares Qur’anic principles applicable to integral ecology with the themes of Pope Francis’ ecological epistle Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. Her earlier publications include: Spiritual Gems: The Mystical Qur’an Commentary Ascribed to Ja`far al-Sadiq and Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries: On the Nature of the Divine with F. Hamza and S. Rizvi. Her recent research at Oxford University explores a Qur’anic perspective on the qualitative and ontological relationship between God and humankind. Farhana was formerly a lecturer in Sufism at SOAS and also at the Institute of Ismaili Studies (in Sufism and Qur’anic Exegesis), where she headed the Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities. She is currently a Research Affiliate at the Laudato Si’ Research Institute, Campion Hall, University of Oxford.

AN OPEN INVITATION

ORGANISER & SPONSOR: THE AHMED FAMILY – C/O MUHAMMADI TRUST (020 8452 1739)

Transfer Student Scheme