The Institute of Ismaili Studies is pleased to welcome泭泭as a Visiting Research Fellow in the泭Department of Academic Research and Publications泭(嗨插賊捩).
Dr Viranis research focuses on Islamic history, philosophy,泭Sufism,泭Shi’ism (Twelver and Ismaili), and Muslim literatures in Arabic, Persian and South Asian languages. After earning a joint honours degree with distinction in Religious Studies and Middle East Studies and a Masters degree in Islamic Studies at McGill University in Montreal, he went on to complete both an A.M.(Artium Magister) and his doctorate at Harvard University in Near Eastern Languages and Civilisations.
Currently, he泭is Distinguished Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Toronto and Director of the Centre for South Asian Civilisations. He has served on the faculty of Harvard University and has acted as the Head of World Humanities at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates. Professor Virani is also a member of the University of Torontos Teaching Academy, having received the泭.
Dr Viranis scholarly work has received numerous accolades and awards from world-renowned bodies of excellence including UNESCO, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Middle East Studies Association, the Foundation for Iranian Studies, Harvard University, the International Farabi Prize, and the British-Kuwait Friendship Society Prize. In addition, the AAR which is the worlds largest association of scholars in the field of Religious Studies and related topics, named Professor Virani the recipient of its highest pedagogical honor- the Excellence in Teaching Award for 2014.
His writings can be found in distinguished academic publications such as the泭Journal of the American Oriental Society, the泭Journal of Iranian Studies,泭Iran and the Caucasus,泭喧堯梗泭Encyclopaedia of Religion,泭The Annual of Urdu Studies,泭amongst others. 泭Dr Virani is the author of泭Adherents of a branch of Shi’i Islam that considers Ismail, the eldest son of the Shi’i Imam Ja尪far al-廜〢diq (d. 765), as his successor. in the Middle Ages: A History of Survival, A Search for Salvation泭泭published by Oxford University Press. The book has been called a masterful reconstruction by Professor Ali Asani and discerning and sensitive, by Professor Wilferd Madelung, both noted scholars of Islam.
Dr Virani is a dedicated volunteer in his spare time. He co-founded an Arabic summer camp for Syrian youth in the mountains of al-Khawabi and also sits on the governing board of the Madrasa Resource Centre of East Africa, which administers over 200 schools and reaches out to slum dwellers and other disadvantaged communities in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zanzibar.
