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Ep. 7 | Seeking What Is Good: Harvard Law Review, Islamic Law, and Legal Studies Across Traditions | Dr. Hassaan Shahawy

April 12, 2021
In spring 2021, Hassaan Shahawy (A.B. '16, J.D. '22) was elected the 135th president of the Harvard Law Review, making him the first Muslim and first expert in Islamic law in the position. In the first half of our conversation, Hassaan talks about his background in Islamic law and how it contributes to his studies at Harvard Law School and work at the... Read more about Ep. 7 | Seeking What Is Good: Harvard Law Review, Islamic Law, and Legal Studies Across Traditions | Dr. Hassaan Shahawy

Ep. 6 | Giving Voice to Silenced Islams | Prof. Ali Asani

April 10, 2021
Professor Ali Asani tells the Alwaleed Program team about his scholarly trajectory, beginning with his experiences coming to Harvard College as an international student from Kenya and entering Islamic studies as an Ismaili student in the early 1970s. He also discusses the importance of expanding perspectives in Islamic studies to include different interpretations of Islam, his interest in studying Islam as a living tradition in the lives of ordinary believers, especially through the arts, and his commitment to education beyond the walls of the university. 

Ep. 5 | Establishing Islamic and Comparative Religious Studies at Harvard | Prof. William A. Graham

April 6, 2021
Professor William Graham talks about his scholarly journey and how he "stumbled" into Islamic studies after pursuing other subjects including Classics and Sanskrit and Indian studies. He also shares his memories of his advisors at Harvard, Wilfred Cantwell Smith and Muhsin Mahdi, and other scholars who shaped Islamic studies including Josef van Ess, Abdelhamid Sabra, Harry Wolfson, Annemarie Schimmel, and George Makdisi.  Finally, Professor Graham reflects on his involvement across the different homes of Islamic studies at Harvard including Near Eastern Languages and... Read more about Ep. 5 | Establishing Islamic and Comparative Religious Studies at Harvard | Prof. William A. Graham