Location: Teams | Time: 12 pm to 2 pm EST | Date: Friday, July 11, 2025 Register Here Workshop Presenter: Dilyara Agisheva Dilyara Agisheva is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of Islamic Studies, University of Toronto. Our workshop series aims to investigate the transformations in Islamic law under the influence of imperial powers, colonialism, and the modern state. Since […]

The Islamic Art and Material Culture Collaborative (IAMCC) program is excited to support a graduate internship opportunity with the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). The intern will provide essential support to the Senior Curator of Islamic World and Collection Specialists on projects centred around Islamic the ROM’s collection of modern Middle Eastern dress and heritage arts, […]

The University of Toronto’s Institute of Islamic Studies and the Shi‘a Research Institute invite paper proposals for an international conference on “The Quran and Shi‘i Islam: Texts, Studies, Legacies” to be held in Toronto, Canada, from August 25-26, 2025. Call for Papers A boundless spring of inspiration throughout Islamic history, the Quran has stimulated a […]

The Structural Islamophobia Research Lab (SIRL) Fellowship on Islamophobia and Canada’s Immigration Regime The Structural Islamophobia Research Lab (SIRL) – at the Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS), University of Toronto – supports the best and brightest minds committed to examining institutionally entrenched modes of Islamophobia that defy simplistic analyses and require creative research methods. Over […]

Date: November 19, 2024 | Time: 4:00 to 5:00 PM | Location: Zoom Register Here Description: In 2016, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) began a public interest inquiry into Indigenous and racialized children’s and youth’s involvement with Ontario’s child welfare system. In their 2018 report, Interrupted Childhoods: Over-representation of Indigenous and Black Children in Ontario Child Welfare, the OHRC found that Black […]

The Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) is excited to share two new reports that came out of the Advisory Committee on Charitable Sectors (ACCR), of which Professor Anver Emon (Director, IIS) was a member from 2022 to 2024.

Register Here Description We are excited to announce a master class titled “Computational Hadith Studies: Survey of a New Field”. This master class will be led by Dr. Mairaj U. Syed.  This session is intended for a discussion among graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty.  Date, Time and Format The 3-hour master class will be held […]

Register Here Date: Monday, October 7, 2024 Time: 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM Location: JHB DSR Room 318, Dept for the Study of Religion, 170 St. George St. Toronto We are excited to announce an upcoming workshop titled “Science and Scripture in a Medieval Plague Treatise (Ibn Hajar’s Merits of the Plague).” This workshop will be led by Dr. […]

Register Here We are excited to announce a master class titled “Reason of State,” examining the German securitization of knowledge production concerning Palestine/Israel. This master class will be led by Dr. Schirin Amir-Moazami.  This session is a follow-up to a public lecture and is intended for a detailed discussion among graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty. […]

Register Here We are excited to announce an upcoming workshop titled “Reason of state”, examining German securitization of knowledge production on Palestine/Israel. This workshop will be led by Schirin Amir-Moazami, Professor of Islam in Europe at the Institute of Islamic Studies, Freie Universitat Berlin on Wednesday, September 25th, 2024.  Workshop Abstract: In a speech at […]

Grant from Inspirit Foundation to support MiCA’s storytelling capacity We’re excited to announce that the Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA) project has been awarded a three-year grant from Inspirit Foundation. The funds will directly enable MiCA’s outreach and storytelling capacity about Muslim’s heritage in Canada. We are extremely grateful to Inspirit Foundation for their leadership […]

*Note: as the Institute continues to seek participants for this research, this call-out has been translated to Arabic and Urdu for greater reach. We encourage all to share widely with those who may fit the criteria. The Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) is seeking people (18 years old and above) to participate in its research on […]

On May 23rd and 24th, the Canadian Association for the Study of Islam and Muslims (CASIM) met in Halifax, at St. Mary’s University, for the second conference organized since its founding in 2021. The conference centered around “Movement” and involved the spectrum of scholars from graduate students to mid-career professionals. The CASIM conference intends to […]

The Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) is proud to announce a new research project that will explore Muslim families’ experiences with the child welfare system in Ontario. This project will be housed under the IIS’ Structural Islamophobia Research Lab (SIRL). Limited research on child welfare system and Muslim’s experienceThere is a growing concern in Muslim […]

Location: Zoom | Time: 2 pm to 4 pm | Date: Thursday, March 7th Land and Legal Texts in the Early Modern Ottoman Empire: Harmonization, Property Rights and Sovereignty (2023) delves into the evolution of Ottoman land law, tracing its development from the sixteenth century to the 1858 Land Code. Through an analysis of legal […]

The Institute of Islamic Studies at the University of Toronto invites the Muslim-led charitable sector to participate in a dialogue with the Charities Directorate of the Canada Revenue Agency to address concerns and deepen understanding.  Session 1: PlenaryThursday, February 29, 2024 (evening) – 6pm to 9:30pm Session 2: Sub-Sector Discussions (limited capacity):Friday, March 1, 2023 […]

Location: Zoom | Time: 2 pm to 4 pm | Date: May 16 Welcome to our monthly workshop on Islamic law and imperialism. The goal of our workshop is to explore the local legal transformations that occurred under the influence of imperial powers. Our workshop series aims to decentralize the traditional narratives of European colonialism. […]

Systemic Islamophobia in Canada: A Research Agenda, edited by Anver M. Emon and published by the University of Toronto Press, has been named among the top 100 best books of 2023. This insightful 296-page book delves into the intricate and pressing issue of systemic Islamophobia in Canada. To explore the content of this new book, […]

We extend our gratitude to Canadian Muslim leader Hussein A. Hamdani for contributing a sizeable gift to MiCA. Hamdani’s vital support for MiCA reflects his long-standing interest in capturing the history of a marginalized community. Establishing an archive to preserve the rich history and legacies of Muslims in Canada requires resources. We welcome these generous […]

Time: 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM Date: January 25, 2024 Virtual: Register Here Welcome to our monthly workshop on Contemporary Islamic Thought. The goal of this series is to explore the understudied reformist Islam of the late Syrian intellectual Muhammad Shahrour (1938-2019). Shahrour’s writings, which appeared with the decline of pan-Arabism in the late 1900s and in response […]

Virtual Event: Register Here Time: 2 pm to 4 pm Date: Thursday, January 18th Welcome to our monthly workshop on Islamic law and imperialism. The goal of our workshop is to explore the local legal transformations that occurred under the influence of imperial powers. Our workshop series endeavours to decentralize the traditional narratives of European […]

Professor Emon explores the existence of Islamophobia in Canadian institutions and edited this collection of essays from leading Canadian scholars in reaction to the shortcomings of a national summit on Islamophobia in addressing systemic problems.   You can access the full article on the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Toronto’s website. To explore the […]

On September 13, 2023, the Ontario Superior Court ruled against intervening in Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) audit of the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC)*. MAC raised a Charter challenge against the CRA on the grounds of violating religious freedom and non-discrimination. Muslim communities in Canada have long (but quietly) been concerned about CRA’s audit practices. […]

The Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) is pleased to be a part of the Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA) newsletter and social media launch! MiCA is a project currently hosted at the Institute of Islamic Studies. Throughout Islamic History Month, MiCA and the IIS will be sharing stories from the archive representing the everyday realities and experiences of Muslims and Muslim communities in Canada. Follow along as we reflect on the past, present, and future of Muslims in Canada.

The Systemic Islamophobia Research Lab (SIRL) Fellowship The Systemic Islamophobia Research Lab (SIRL) – at the Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS), University of Toronto – supports the best and brightest minds committed to examining institutionally entrenched modes of Islamophobia. This call for applications is for candidates committed to interdisciplinary research on Children’s Aid Societies (CAS) […]

Postdoctoral Fellow Sana Patel was recently featured on The Scope (BritishMuslimTV) alongside Leila Bdeir to discuss Islamophobia in Canada. Sana explained that Canada has a long history of Islamophobia which includes American influence. She also described the ways in which online spaces allow Islamophobia to prevail due to their unregulated characteristics. You can view the full episode at: […]

The Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) is hiring for two positions: Business Officer & Administrative, Outreach and Communications Assistant to the Director. Given the expanding scope and operations, the IIS is bringing on more staff to enhance and support its various projects and work. We encourage anyone interested in working at the IIS to carefully […]

Jeffrey G. Reitz,1 Patrick Simon,2 and Emily Laxer3 December 2022 Muslim immigrants’ religious affiliation and social integration in Western countries have been hot button issues particularly in the two decades of “war on terror” following 9/11, in response to attacks by persons claiming a global Islamic agenda in several countries and extensive media coverage keeping […]

Dear members of the Islamic Studies community at UofT, It is our pleasure to announce the Winter 2023 Semester schedule for the Islamic Studies Past, Present, and Futures Workshop. All sessions will meet on Tuesdays at noon Eastern in a hybrid format: in-person at the IIS offices (fifth floor, Jackman Humanities Building) or on Zoom. […]

The Islamic Art & Material Culture Collaborative (IAMCC) is pleased to announce the launch of the second iteration of its online conversation series. This new series entitled Art and Activism in Contemporary Global Landscapes will consist of 4 monthly sessions held on Zoom on Saturdays from January to May at 11 a.m. EST. Our 2023 series aims to highlight […]

The Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) centers the study of Islam and Muslims to better understand our society, including the scope (and breaches) of Canada’s democratic promises. The IIS’ 2021 report, “Under Layered Suspicion”, shed light on the scope and limits of Canadian democracy in relation to Canada’s civil society and the charitable sector. The report […]

The Institute of Islamic Studies is hiring a Digital Network Officer to support the growing needs of its projects. Below is a copy of the job posting, but we encourage you to visit the original posting for all complete and latest details. Digital Network Officer Date Posted: 11/28/2022Req ID: 28685Faculty/Division: Faculty of Arts & ScienceDepartment: Institute of Islamic StudiesCampus: St. […]

The Muslims in Canada Data Initiative (MiCDI) is pleased to announce a new research project funded by the Peel Social Lab: Theorizing Islamophobia. The new project also has a job posting for a Research Assistantship (more details below). Announcement: Theorizing Islamophobia Job Opportunity: Graduate Research Assistantship (50 hours) New Project – “Theorizing Islamophobia” – To […]

Authors: Youcef Soufi, Anver Emon Anver Emon, Professor of Law and History at the UofT, sits down with Youcef Soufi for an indepth discussion on his latest book Jurisdictional Exceptionalism, co-written with Urfan Khaliq. The 1980 Hague Abduction Convention was intended to create international consensus over how to handle cases in which one parent absconded with their […]

The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) was proud to host a hybrid event in honour of Islamic History Month. “Storytelling is Our Superpower”. Anver Emon and Moska Rokay were part of the panel and discussed the role that the Muslims in Canada Archives project plays in enabling storyrelling. You can now watch the recording from […]

Authors: Youcef Soufi, Sunera Thobani Baljit Nagra, Associate Professor at OttawaU’s Department of Criminology, discusses her book Securitized Citizens: Canadian Muslims Experiences of Race Relations and Identity Formation Post 9/11. Dr. Nagra discusses the findings of her research with educated second-generation Muslims in Toronto and Vancouver. Nagra analyzes Canadian Muslims’ exclusion from citizenship post 9/11. She […]

The master class is intended to introduce the students to how a text like the Muwatta’ has been read by Muslims and even non-Muslims over its long, 1,000+ year history.

Situated at the nexus of critical Muslim studies and critical futures studies, this workshop invites students to contemplate and vision alternative futures.

In a joint project, the University of Toronto’s Institute of Islamic Studies seeks a researcher to write a report on the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and allegations of its discriminatory practices against religious minorities and persons of colour with specific focus on access to and respect for legal counsel.

About the Issue & Theme(s): This fifth issue of Islam in the City offered an outlet for reflections on a return after a period of change and instability. Through a theme of “homecoming”, how can one imagine a readjustment of their emotional routines? And how can the impact of the pause to normalcy be reconciled with the […]

As we pursue innovative research projects collaboratively with others, we recognize these as important and timely engagements in which all parties to the project share a specific commitment consistent with the principles and priorities of all parties involved. The IIS does not expect community partners to alter their varied priorities and policies to align with those of the IIS or the University of Toronto, nor will the IIS alter its core mission and purpose.

Author: Farah El-Sharif In 1995, Islamic Africa specialist John Hunwick lamented that Kitāb al- Rimāḥ “lies unstudied by Africanists and Islamicists like a hard lump in the stomach, massive and undigested.” Enabled by the works of countless scholars who have made enormous inroads into the field of Islamic scholarship in West Africa today, my PhD […]

Graduate Research Assistantship: Islamophobia Index Development (400 hours) Area of Research The study of Islam and Muslims in Canada Description of Duties This Research Assistantship (RAship) will invite a graduate student to work closely with a MiCDI data team member to develop an index measuring Islamophobia. The role would include qualitative data analysis, conceptualization and operationalization […]

On June 20th, 2022, Professor Anver Emon (Director, Institute of Islamic Studies) gave testimony to the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights on the topic if Islamophobia in Canada (link contains meeting minutes, transcript, and video). Professor Emon’s statement (click to read the full statement) shows how Islamophobia takes shape in the Federal Government’s bureaucratic workings across […]

Authors: Youcef Soufi, Sunera Thobani  Sunera Thobani, Professor in the Asian Studies Department at UBC, discusses her new book, Contesting Islam: The Inordinate Desire of the West (2021). Dr. Thobani recounts the historical constructions of Muslims and the West through an critical engagement with postcolonial theorists, race theory, feminism, and queer theory. Host: Youcef Soufi Date […]

Author: Mohannad Abusarah, Suzanne Marchand Professor Suzanne Marchand joins the Reading Practices Hub to discuss German Orientalism and the philological approach. She gives an overview of the history of German Orientalism and the reason for choosing it as a subject of her study. In the episode, Prof. Marchand also discusses the critique of philology and […]

Recently Dr. Anver Emon, (Director of Institute of Islamic Studies ) visited Simon Fraser University to discuss the role of academia in countering the damaging legacy of stereotypes about Islam and Muslims. You can now watch a recording of the discussion between Dr. Emon and Dr. Amyn B. Sajoo as they discussed topics such as: […]

The Institute of Islamic Studies, University of Toronto, welcomes the inclusion in the proposed federal budget of the Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA) project. We thank the Government of Canada for its support, and the strong advocates for MiCA in the Government, such as MP Arif Virani (Parkdale -High Park). We look forward to working closely and […]

We’re pleased to share that Professor Anver Emon (Director, Institute of Islamic Studies) has been appointed to the Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector (ACCS). Prof Emon’s appointment comes as the Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson continues its systemic examination of the Charities Directorate’s audit process. The appointment of diverse members to the committee, which the Honourable Diane […]

Authors: Dr. Khaled al-Qazzaz, Sara Hamed Khaled Al-Qazzaz is an education and communications consultant. He holds a Masters of Applied Sciences in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto (U of T), and pursued a Doctorate of Education in Educational Administration at Walden University. In 2005, Khaled moved to Egypt and established a […]

Authors: Junaid Quadri, Mohannad Abusarah Professor Junaid Quadri joins the Reading Practices Hub to discuss theoretical questions related to the study of Islamic thought. He focuses on the connection between thought and practice in the Islamic tradition, especially in Islamic law. He also discusses the question of continuity and rupture in a way that he […]

Authors: Noah Saloman, Abdulla Majeed Professor Noah Salomon joins this episode of the Reading Muslims podcast to discuss the role texts and textuality came to play in his ethnography of the Islamic State in Sudan, For Love of the Prophet (Princeton University Press 2016). He reflects on what it means to approach texts not only as an […]

Winter 2022 Schedule *All Winter 2022 sessions will meet on Zoom at Noon. Please sign up here to join the mailing list to receive information for the sessions January 31Arafat Razzaque (Assistant Professor, Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations)“Can Insulting Someone Break Your Wuḍūʾ? A Debate on Ritual in Early Islamic Law and Ethics” February 7Amira Mittermaier (Professor, Study of Religion)“God, […]

The theme for the Spring 2022 edition of Islam in the City is regrowth and reclamation of autonomy in the city. As we enter spring, we begin to shift our habits to the new season. In this edition, we hope to spotlight your take on rebirth and reclamation of autonomy after two years of a drastically changed reality. How […]

Authors: Nada Moumtaz, Junaid Quadri, Sadaf Ahmed, Sara Hamed At this joint book talk, we put two new and formidable books into conversation: God’s Property: Islam, Charity, and the Modern State (University of California Press, 2021), by Nada Moumtaz, and Transformations of Tradition: Islamic Law in Colonial Modernity (University of Oxford Press, 2021), by Junaid Quadri. Each of these works tells […]

Author: Yasmeen Atassi The Islamic Holy book, the Quran, and the hadiths (reports about the Prophet Muhammad) serve as sources of guidance for Muslims, regardless of sect or school of thought. But though the origins of Islam in divine revelation are generally accepted among different Muslim groups, points of divergence exist because of human interaction with the text. The need for self-justification particularly impacts how we read texts and internalize them. It is these points of […]

Authors: Fahad Ahmad, Khalidah Ali Dr. Fahad Ahmad discusses his dissertation, “Comparison of Muslim Civil Society Responses to Counter-radicalization Policies in Canada & U.K” with PhD candidate, Khalidah Ali, at the Institute of Islamic Studies. Comparing the cases of Canada and the U.K., this research shows how, in response to CR policy pressures, Muslim civil […]

Through a reading of several Muslim reformers from the 19th and 20th centuries, this article investigates the influence that historical narratives have on the reading of the self, identity of the other, the status of one’s tradition, and one’s future.

The comparison between 19th- and 20th-century Islamic reformist thought and Protestantism is a common one within Western scholarship. Many authors compare the Muslim reform movements that started in the mid-19th and early 20th centuries to the Protestant Reformation, in the sense that it resembles the movement inaugurated by Luther in 16thcentury Europe.[1] These authors claim that Muslim reformers reinterpreted […]

Authors: Tazeen Ali, Iman Abdoul Karim Dr. Tazeen Ali joins the Anthropology of Islam Hub to discuss her upcoming book project, Authorizing Women: Islamic Authority at the Women’s Mosque of America with New York University Press. She lays out the gendered and racialized landscape of the U.S. Muslim religious authority and what is and isn’t new about Women’s Mosque of […]

Authors: Katherine Bullock, Sara Hamed Dr. Bullock explains the vision of Compass Books and how both her academic and activism careers inspired her to found the company. She elaborates various challenges in the book publishing industry, and the role her company aims to play in Muslim identity formation. She discusses how Compass Books walks a fine and […]

Watching the news of Afghanistan over the last few weeks has been heartbreaking for many of us who have a close connection to the country, its people, and its history.  For some Afghan-Canadians, they watch from the comfort of their homes, often with a sense of guilt as relatives still in the country scramble to escape. […]

Author: Adil Mawani One hundred and fifty years ago the social reformer, Sir Sayyid Aḥmad Ḵẖān (d. 1898), had an opportunity to travel to Great Britain. I have often tried to imagine what he would have thought of the chance to visit the heart of the British Empire. A glimpse into his experience is possible […]

Authors: Mohammad Fadel, Anver Emon Dr. Fadel joins this special edition podcast to discuss his beginnings in academia, and his observations about the field of Middle Eastern studies over time. He is joined by Dr. Emon as the two come together to discuss their approaches to Islamic law and legal studies, where textuality (and debates […]

***Please note that only students enrolled at UofT are eligible to apply for the positions listed below. Please see the specific eligibility requirements for each position.***  A PDF version of this Call for Applications can be found here.  Islamic Art and Material Cultures Collaborative (IAMCC)Senior Fellow The Institute of Islamic Studies issues a call for applications for […]

Last March, 2021, the Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) was pleased to host the online platform for Under Layered Suspicion: A Review of CRA Audits of Muslim-led Charities. The report was the fruit of a collaborative research and engagement process led by Anver Emon, Director of the IIS, and Nadia Z. Hasan, Chief Operations Officer of the National […]

Author: Sara Ameri On Tuesday, 24 Dhu al-Qaʿda, 309 (922 CE), the people of Baghdad witnessed the public execution of Manṣūr al-Hallāj. He had been a well-known if controversial Sufi who had spent years travelling as far as Kashmir and Qocho, preaching and gathering people to his circle. After spending 8 years in the Abbasid […]

The third volume of our student run publication, Islam in the City: Crossroads is out! The summer issue tells a myriad of stories, some personal — some borrowed. How does Vampire Weekend and Eid intersect? Where do the ethics of medical racism lie? How does the “modesty myth” impact the way assault and abuse is […]

Author: Sara Hamed The words “Deeply Rooted and Standing Strong,” flashed on my screen against the image of a thick trunked tree with protruding roots stitched into the earth around it. It’s time for an authentic, genuine narrative that is grounded in our religion, to reflect our proud Canadian Muslim identity,” said the promo video’s […]

Author: Aaisha Salman In December 2019, Al Jazeera reported  that students protesting in India against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) found inspiration from celebrated Urdu poets, stating that “Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Habib Jalib and Allama Iqbal remain integral to popular protests against ‘anti-Muslim’ citizenship law.” Since December 2019, students have led the protests in India against a […]

The IIS is deeply grateful to everyone who held space to process and grieve, in the wake of the tragic murders in London, ON last month. During that time, the Reading Muslims network compiled and posted a series of reflections in solidarity with #OurLondonFamily. The compilation is now made available as a publication below. We […]

Author: Salwa Iqbal Muslim representation in the media is on the rise, and comic books are no exception. Traditionally, the representation of Muslim women in comics has been caricatural at best, and offensively orientalist at worst.((Examples of orientalist female characters include “The Veil”, a villain introduced in the X-Men series in 1991; Nicieza, Fabian. “The […]

Author: Salwa Iqbal Muslim representation in the media is on the rise, and comic books are no exception. Traditionally, the representation of Muslim women in comics has been caricatural at best, and offensively orientalist at worst.[1] The inaccurate and objectionable representation of Muslim women in pop culture follows the general trend of badly written female characters. […]

Introduction The eleven reflections gathered here are in response to the attack in London, Ontario on Sunday June 6th that killed Madiha Salman, Salman Afzaal, Yumna Afzaal, and Talat Afzaal, and hospitalized 9-year old  Fayez Afzaal. Recognized as a “mass murder” and a “terrorist act,” the attack brought to public attention the problem of Islamophobia in […]

Author: Anver Emon Professor Anver M. Emon, co-author and principal research of “Under Layered Suspicion: A Review of CRA Audits of Muslim-led Charities” provides a walkthrough of the report. In each video he unpacks the careful reading and analysis of audit track records and public policies which give insight into the ways systemic biases and […]

On April 22, 2021, the Council of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) unanimously voted (with one abstention) to censure the University of Toronto for violating academic freedom in the hiring process for the Faculty of Law’s International Human Rights Program Director. The Faculty of Law’s selection committee unanimously agreed on a single candidate, […]

On the evening of June 6, 2021, 20-year old Nathanial Veltman decided to maim, murder, and erase from existence, a family of Muslims out on a daily walk, simply because they were Muslim.

Authors: Zeinab Farokhi, Yasmin Jiwani, Faiza Hirji, Kenza Oumlil, Tanner Mirrlees This panel brings together the contributors of a special issue of the Journal of Islamophobia Studies that addresses the operation and circulation of Islamophobic discourses on a transnational level through the realm of digital media. Zeinab Farokhi Zeinab Farokhi is a doctoral candidate at the Women […]

Author: Abdulla Majeed On February 11th 2020, the controversial Iraqi religious cleric and spiritual leader of the Sadrist Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, ordered and announced the disbandment of the “Blue Hats” militant unit by tweeting on his official Twitter account. This disbandment came after the “Blue Hats” were involved in attacks on Iraqi protestors in Baghdad, Nasiriyah and […]

One of the many blessings of working as an archivist at MiCA is the chance to connect with a cornucopia of wonderful people that I may not have had the pleasure of meeting otherwise. Although we use different avenues to do our work, the brilliant ribbon that ties us all together is our shared passion, commitment, and drive to amplify the stories and lived experiences of Canadian Muslims […]

The Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) at the University of Toronto invites applications for an innovative Fellows Program in Islamic Art and Material Culture.  The Fellows Program is a joint project of the IIS, Aga Khan Museum (AKM), and Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), and is run collaboratively through the Islamic Art and Material Culture Collaborative (IAMCC).    The definition of Islamic art […]

On April 19, 2021 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrysta Freeland presented to Parliament the 2021 Federal Budget. Not surprisingly, the budget narrative is framed around the need to respond to COVID19 and overcome the economic recession it has caused across Canada. But while the budget presents a considered impetus to Canada in […]

After nearly 50 years of obscurity, a large collection of rare manuscripts in the basement of the Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library has found new life as the Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) and the University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) agreed upon and implemented a plan to catalogue this collection, thereby opening it up to […]

On February 16, 2021, French MPs approved a new law entitled “Reinforcing Republican Principles” to prevent religious extremism and what the French President, Emmanuel Macron, refers to as “Islamist Separatism.” The bill was proposed in the context of what I term “Charlie Hebdo-related violence,” which began in 2015 with the attacks on the satirical magazine […]

Author: Adil Mawani What did reading practices look like in early modern South Asia? To address this question, we must explore the processes that enabled the adoption and spread of print technology in South Asia. Interestingly, the innovation of print was established in Europe in the fifteenth century but did not come into use in […]

Authors: Anver Emon, Nadia Hasan, Zeinab Farokhi In this discussion, hosted by Zeinab Farokhi, Professor Anver Emon and Dr. Nadia Hasan share findings on how biases in Canada’s anti-terrorism financing and anti-radicalization regimes disproportionately target Muslim-led charities, leading to the revocation of their charitable status. The full report can be found at: layeredsuspicion.ca The authors also […]

We at the IIS are proud to launch a new research report, in partnership with National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), called “Under Layered Suspicion: A Review of CRA Audits of Muslim-led Charities”. The report can be found at: layeredsuspicion.ca The report finds potential biases and prejudicial policies that influence the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) […]

Author: Khalidah Ali On November 16th, 2020, Motherboard published an investigation on data collection and surveillance. At the centre of this story was the Muslim prayer app Muslim Pro. The article entitled “How the U.S. Military Buys Location Data from Ordinary Apps” written by Joseph Cox was shared widely, garnering Muslim reactions of outrage and betrayal aimed at […]

Author: Abdulla Majeed In the midst of his road rage, Amir—the taxi driver I often accompanied to one of the organizations I was conducting fieldwork with in East Amman- suddenly began to murmur and recite God’s name in tasbīḥ (praise) and istighfār (asking forgiveness) as he tried to calm his anger. I glimpsed at the traffic light and noticed […]

Author: Aaisha Salman In 2018, The Queer Muslim Project (TQMP), an online collective initiated by gender and sexuality rights advocate, Rafiul Alom Rahman, held a workshop in Delhi entitled “DIY Islam” (Do-it-Yourself Islam). As a part of this workshop, TQMP invited queer Muslims in the city to reflect on their experiences of Muslimness and faith, “both good and bad.”[1] On their Instagram page, TQMP archived this project […]

Author: Aaisha Salman In 2018, The Queer Muslim Project (TQMP), an online collective initiated by gender and sexuality rights advocate, Rafiul Alom Rahman, held a workshop in Delhi entitled “DIY Islam” (Do-it-Yourself Islam). As a part of this workshop, TQMP invited queer Muslims in the city to reflect on their experiences of Muslimness and faith, “both good and bad.”[1] On their Instagram page, TQMP archived this project […]

Author: Joud Alkonrani Not too long ago, I asked my supervisor roughly how long a dissertation chapter should be. “Between 8 and 10 thousand words,” she replied. Sorry to have asked, I sheepishly attached my 23,000-word chapter to my email in response. A few weeks later, I received from my committee detailed and thoughtful feedback […]

Author: Natasha Bakht Niqab-wearing women in liberal democracies have for some time been “read” in very particular ways that do not tend to coincide with their lived realities. Many people assume that by wearing the niqab, these women accept subordinate status to men, that they are forced into this attire, that they do not or cannot work in […]

The Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) is excited to introduce you to a new and exciting venture: the Muslims in Canada Data Initiative (MiCDI). MiCDI examines and and develops large-scale data sets, that improve the visibility of Muslims across Canada. With a higher resolution understanding of Canada’s Muslims communities, MiCDI can enable more effective discussions […]

Authors: Anver Emon, Ruba Kana’an, Nada Moumtaz, Youcef Soufi In this inaugural webinar, four scholars at the forefront of the Reading Muslims project explore the role of textuality in their studies of Islam across different disciplines. Dr. Anver Emon begins by introducing the origins, mandate, and scope of the Reading Muslim project as a Connaught […]

Authors: Anver Emon, Youcef Soufi Reading Muslims was born in the aftermath of a seminar on Islamic law at the Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) in the fall of 2019. We were brainstorming about a research project that could bring together the diverse skills and interests of the inter-departmental cohort of scholars of Islam and Muslims of the University of Toronto. During the seminar, […]

Reading Muslims was born in the aftermath of a seminar on Islamic law at the Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) in the fall of 2019. We were brainstorming about a research project that could bring together the diverse skills and interests of the inter-departmental cohort of scholars of Islam and Muslims of the University of Toronto. During the seminar, we noticed a palpable excitement […]

The Muslims in Canada Archive (MiCA) project was recently featured in the Toronto Star. Moska Rokay (Research Fellow and Project Coordinator for MiCA), and Anver Emon (Director, Institute of Islamic Studies) share insights about the origins of the project and how it fits into a broader societal shift in empowering community members to tell their […]

We’re very excited to share some updates from the Reading Muslims project, as we develop the project throughout the year ahead. About Reading Muslims Reading Muslims is an interdisciplinary conversation on the role of texts and textuality within Islamic studies. The project re-examines the methodological assumptions surrounding the history and use of texts across a […]

A report was recently published by the Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS), led by Dr. Sarah Shah, on the status of health data and research on Canadian Muslims. The paper titled “Canadian Muslim Health Exceptionalism—Community Consultation” is available to the public here: https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/handle/1807/102879 Abstract:This report follows a recent scoping review on Canadian Muslim health. The […]

Earlier this month we had the honour of hosting Khaled Fahmy – Professor of Arabic Studies, Cambridge University – for a week-long engagement at the Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS). Public LectureKhaled Fahmy’s visit contained a public lecture titled “History of Islamic Legal Practice: Some Insights from 19th Century Egypt”.  In this lecture, Professor Fahmy […]

To introduce communities to the Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA), project lead – Moska Rokay – will be hosting three virtual sessions from December 2020 through January 2021. The sessions will be held on Zoom and will be recorded (in true archival fashion). The need for a Muslim community archiveThe chance to tell your story […]

On Oct 16th, a French schoolteacher in the suburbs of Paris named Samuel Paty was murdered by a Muslim man for showing his classroom caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. The aftermath has placed Islam and Muslims under scrutiny with the government claiming that “Islamist separatism” is challenging the Republic’s values and unity. In this podcast, […]

MiCA partners Memorial University and Muslim Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (MANAL) have been awarded an SSHRC grant to launch the Muslim Narratives and Lives in Newfoundland and Labrador Community Project (MNL in NL Community Project). Lead by co-PIs Jennifer Selby and Ayse Sule Akinturk, the project will both locate and create archival materials to […]

The IIS is pleased to announce that Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council has awarded a Partnership Development Grant to support the development and growth of the Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA). MiCA is a project of the IIS in partnership with a number of national and local archival institutions, such as the University […]

The Institute of Islamic Studies will launch in Fall 2020 a new research collected entitled Reading Muslims. Supported with a recently awarded grant from UofT’s Connaught Global Challenge Fund, Reading Muslims will be lead by Co-PIs Anver M. Emon and IIS Post-Doctoral Fellow Youcef Soufi. Over the next two years, Reading Muslims will host a […]

To the IIS community of faculty, staff, students, and community partners I’ve had the pleasure to talk to many of you over the last few days, as we struggle individually and collectively in the wake of horrific police violence against Black Americans such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arberry, as well as the […]

In 1973, David Esplin, then associate chief librarian of the Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library, purchased from Sulaiman’s Book Shop in Beirut, Lebanon, a collection of almost 1,200 manuscripts. These texts were primarily in Arabic and from the 19th century, although some go back as far as the 17th. This collection, in its astounding number […]

An IIS-Hart House Joint Initiative In recent years, the world has witnessed an increase of Muslim women-identified athletes. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, of the 33 Muslim women athletes who competed, 14 won medals across a range of sports. Audiences were enthralled by these women’s physical abilities and impressive strength, yet public discourse centered on […]

The IIS, in collaboration with the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association (CMLA) and Downtown Legal Services (DLS) has launched its support hotline for UofT students approached by CSIS or other Canadian national security agent seeking information or an interview. While CSIS and other national security agencies have an important […]

For immediate release: From June 17-19, 2019, the Institute of Islamic Studies hosted the 10th annual Ibadi Conference at the University of Toronto. We were especially pleased to host His Excellency, Minister Abdullah Al Salimi of the Government of Oman, whose Ministry of Religious Endowments supported the conference and helped bring together a diverse and […]

We are all saddened by the tragic terrorist acts in New Zealand directed at Muslims in prayer at their mosques. For Canadians, this heinous act hits especially hard, as we have only just commemorated on January 29th the Quebec City mosque massacre, in which 6 Canadian Muslims were killed while in prayer, by Canadian White-supremacist […]

As stated in the inaugural director’s message in September 2019, the IIS is committed to advancing the scale and scope of advanced research.  This year, we began with two research labs, the Study of Islam and Muslims in Canada (SIMiC) and Between the Straits.  We are pleased to announce the formation of a third research […]

And we’re off! Fall 2018 was a stellar term for the IIS. With faculty and graduate students from all three UofT campuses, a global cohort of faculty visiting Toronto, and community partners that now see the IIS as an institutional ally, the Institute’s seminar room was nothing short of lively. Faculty from across the UofT […]

On Wednesday, March 6, 2019, the IIS is pleased to present a master class delivered by Professor Brinkley Messick (Columbia University).  Messick is the inaugural visiting lecturer at the IIS in 2019.  His master class, directed to graduate students,  post-doctoral fellows, and faculty, is a 3 hour seminar (with a one hour lunch break) scheduled […]

For the week of March 4, 2019, the IIS is pleased to host inaugural visiting lecturer Professor Brinkley Messick (Columbia University).  Over a period of three days, Professor Messick will give a book talk on his recent book Sharia Scripts; a master class for graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and faculty; and a public lecture at UTM. Tuesday, […]

The IIS is pleased to welcome Catherine Larouche, who will be part of our research community for the 2018-2019 academic year.  Catherine is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto. She completed her PhD in sociocultural anthropology at McGill University in 2018. Her research interests include the anthropology of philanthropy […]

In November 2018, the IIS welcomed to its offices Dr. Albert Frolov, a post-doctoral fellow and scholar at risk. We asked Dr. Frolov to write a short introduction to his work and hope that our community of scholars and students will take part in the Arabic philosophy seminars he will be leading in the Spring. […]

The IIS is pleased to announce that Brinkley Messick, Professor of Anthropology, at Columbia University is the inaugural 2019 IIS Visiting Lecturer.  Professor Messick specializes in the anthropology of law, legal history, written culture, and the circulation and interpretation of Islamic law.  He is the author of The Calligraphic State (1993), which was awarded the Albert Hourani […]

Over the course of two weekends in the month of August 2018, a graduate research team from Université de Montréal conducted field work in Toronto out of the IIS offices. We were a team of about ten Masters and Doctoral students from UdM’s sociology department. Our project, entitled “Political Fictions : An analysis of fictional […]

Welcome to the newly redesigned website of the Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) at the University of Toronto. The IIS is devoted to supporting advanced research in the study of Islam and Muslims. As director of the IIS, it is a privilege to lead an advanced research institute in this historical moment. It’s often easy […]