Reza Shah-Kazemi (born 1 June 1960) is an author who specializes in comparative mysticism,

Islamic Studies Islamic studies is the academic study of Islam, which is analogous to related fields such as Jewish studies and Quranic studies. Islamic studies seeks to understand the past and the potential future of the Islamic world. In this multidiscipli ...

Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

and

Shi'ism Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...

. He is the founding editor of the ''Islamic World Report'' and currently a research associate at the

Institute of Ismaili Studies The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) is a research institute in London, United Kingdom. It aims to promote the study of Muslim cultures and societies, both historical and contemporary, in order to foster a greater understanding of their relatio ...

with the Department of Academic Research and Publications. He received degrees in International Relations and Politics at

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

and

Exeter University The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School o ...

, before receiving his doctorate in

Comparative Religion Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including human migration, migration) of the world's religions. In general the comparative study ...

from the

University of Kent The University of Kent (formerly the University of Kent at Canterbury, abbreviated as UKC) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom. The university was granted its roya ...

in 1994. He later acted as a consultant to the Institute for Policy Research in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

.' He has served as managing editor of the

Encyclopaedia Islamica The ''Encyclopaedia Islamica'' is an encyclopedia on Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated ...

, the English translation and edition of the Persian Great Islamic Encyclopedia (دائرةالمعارف بزرگ اسلامی / Da'irat al-Ma'arif-i Buzurg-i Islami). He was also one of the 138 signatories of the Open Letter titled "

A Common Word Between Us and You "A Common Word between Us and You" is an open letter, from October 13, 2007, from Muslim to Christian leaders. It calls for peace between Muslims and Christians and tries to work for common ground and understanding between both religions, in line ...

," addressed to "Leaders of Christian Churches everywhere" on October 13, 2007. In 2009, he was included in the list of

The 500 Most Influential Muslims ''The 500 Most Influential Muslims'' (also known as ''The Muslim 500'') is an annual publication first published in 2009, which ranks the most influential Muslims in the world. The publication is compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies C ...

by Georgetown University and the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre of Jordan.

Biography

Reza Shah-Kazemi was born on 1 June 1960 in London. He obtained a First Class Honours in International Relations for his BA degree from

Sussex University The University of Sussex is a public research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the South Downs National Park, and provide ...

(1979-1984). Subsequently, he earned an MA in Politics with Distinction at

(1984-1985) which was followed by a PhD in Comparative Religion at

(1989-1994). In 1994, he co-launched the Islamic World Report, which has since evolved into a publishing company. Between 1997 and 1999, he served as a consultant to the Institute for Policy Research (IKD) in

, Malaysia. During this period, he also held the position of general editor for the IKD Monograph Series. Presently, he holds the role of Research Associate at the

in London, serves as a trustee of the Matheson Trust, and in the past, was a contributor to the BBC World Service program, "Pause for Thought."

Personal life

He was married to Sonia Nureen (Gul Hassan) Shah-Kazemi, who died on February 24, 2021. At the time of her death, the couple was working on a compilation, to be entitled, “Letting the Qur’an Speak for Itself". Having spent a year in Paris dedicated to the study of French, he is from a Persian background, and is fluent in Persian. He is a

Perennialist The perennial philosophy (), also referred to as perennialism and perennial wisdom, is a school of thought in philosophy and spirituality that posits that the recurrence of common themes across world religions illuminates universal truths about ...

Awards/prizes

* Book of the Year on Walaya (Kitab-i Sal-i Vilayat), awarded for Justice and Remembrance: Introducing the Spirituality of Imam Ali, November 2007. * International Book Award (Jayazeh-yi Jahani), awarded for Justice and Remembrance: Introducing the Spirituality of Imam Ali, February 2008.

Bibliography

Publications
''Seeing God Everywhere: Qur’anic Perspectives on the Sanctity of Virgin Nature''
(Cambridge: The Muslim Academic Trust, 2021). * ''Imam 'Ali: Concise History, Timeless Mystery'' (I.B. Tauris, 2022)

(Edmonton: Chester Ronning Centre, 2015). (Note: Look at Forthcoming.) * ''Interpreting the 'Spirit of Assisi': Challenges to Interfaith Dialogue in a Pluralistic World'' (Vesuvius Press, 2013) ontributor* ''The Spirit Of Tolerance in Islam'' (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012)
"Loving Compassion in Islam and Buddhism: Rahma and Karunā"
''Religions-Adyan'', Issue 1, 2011 ontributed article*''Common Ground Between Islam and Buddhism'' (Independent Publishing Group, 2010) ontributor*''The Sacred Foundations of Justice in Islam'' (

World Wisdom World Wisdom is an independent American publishing company established in 1980 in Bloomington, Indiana. World Wisdom publishes religious and philosophical texts, including the work of authors such as Frithjof Schuon, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Titus ...

, 2007) *''The Underlying Religion: An Introduction to the Perennial Philosophy'' (

, 2007) ontributed article*''My Mercy Encompasses All: The Koran's Teachings on Compassion, Peace and Love'' (Shoemaker & Hoard, 2007) *''Justice and Remembrance: Introducing the Spirituality of Imam Ali'' (I. B. Tauris, 2007) *''Paths to Transcendence'' (

, 2006) *''Sufism: Love and Wisdom'' (

, 2006) ontributed article*''The Other in the Light of the One: The Universality of the Qur'an and Interfaith Dialogue'' (

Islamic Texts Society The Islamic Texts Society (ITS) is a peer-reviewed, British publishing house which concentrates on academic and general titles on Islam. It is registered as an educational charity in the UK. History The Islamic Texts Society was founded in Cam ...

, 2006) *''Paths to the Heart'' (

, 2004) ontributed article*''Seeing God Everywhere: Essays on Nature and the Sacred'' (

, 2004) ontributed article*''Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition'' (

, 2004) ontributed article*''Doctrines of Shi`i Islam: A Compendium of Imami Beliefs and Practices'' (I. B. Tauris, 2001) *''Algeria: Revolution Revisited (Islamic World Report)'' (I. B. Tauris, 1998) *''Avicenna (Heroes from the East)'' (Hood Hood Books Ltd, 1997) *''Crisis In Chechnia (Islamic World Reports)'' (Isbs, 1996) *''Bosnia: Destruction of a Nation, Inversion of a Principle (Islamic World Reports)'' (Isbs, 1996) *''Turkey: The Pendulum Swings Back (Islamic World Reports)'' (Isbs, 1996) Translations * ''Doctrines of Shi’i Islam (Manshūr-i ‘Aqā’id-i Imāmiyya, by Ayatollah Ja’far Sobhani)'' nnotated translation from the Persian(London: IB Tauris/Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2001). Edited volumes * ''Encyclopaedia Islamica, vol. 5'' (Leiden: Brill and Institute of Ismaili Studies 2015) (Managing Editor). Editors-in-chief: W. Madelung, F. Daftary. * ''Encyclopaedia Islamica, vol. 4'' (Leiden: Brill and Institute of Ismaili Studies 2013) (Managing Editor). Editors-in-chief: W. Madelung, F. Daftary. * ''Encyclopaedia Islamica, vol. 3'' (Leiden: Brill and Institute of Ismaili Studies 2011) (Managing Editor). Editors-in-chief: W. Madelung, F. Daftary. * ''Encyclopaedia Islamica, vol. 2'' (Leiden: Brill and Institute of Ismaili Studies 2009) (Managing Editor). Editors-in-chief: W. Madelung, F. Daftary. * ''Encyclopaedia Islamica, vol.1'' (Leiden: Brill and Institute of Ismaili Studies 2008) (Managing Editor). Editors-in-chief: W. Madelung, F. Daftary. * ''Algeria: Revolution Revisited'' (London: Islamic World Report, 1997). * ''Turkey: The Pendulum Swings Back'' (London: Islamic World Report, 1996). * ''Bosnia: Destruction of a Nation, Inversion of a Principle'' (London: Islamic World Report, 1996). Forthcoming * ''Muslim Perspectives on Christian Mysteries: Trinity, Incarnation and Crucifixion'' (Note: Look at Publications) * ''A Blessed Peacemaker: Imam Ali and the Inner Paths of Sunni-Shia Unity'' (2025)

References

External links

Life and Work

Institute of Ismaili Studies Profile

Green Knight Multimedia Profile

Researchgate Profile

Academia Profile

Articles

* ttp://www.sacredweb.com/articles/sw8_shahkazemi.html ''Recollecting the Spirit of Jihad''br>''Eckhart’s Image of the Eye and the Wood: An analogy which explains ‘all that I have ever preached about’''''A Message of Hope at the Eleventh Hour: Martin Lings, 1909-2005''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shah-Kazemi, Reza Alumni of the University of Kent Alumni of the University of Sussex Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford British Islamic studies scholars Living people Sufi writers Traditionalist School Year of birth missing (living people)