College of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar

Dr. Muhammad Modassir Ali earned his Bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies and his Master’s and PhD in Comparative Religion from the International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI). He was selected twice for the Fulbright Scholar Program; in 2003 at the University of Santa Barbara and in 2008 at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Having worked at his alma mater, IIUI, for some years where he taught courses on world religions, particularly Christianity and Indian religions, he moved to Qatar University in 2011, where he was Associate Dean for Student Affairs until 2014.

Khalid Al-Qatabri holds a PhD in Islamic Jurisprudence from University of Jordan (2016). He holds an MA in Islamic Law from Cairo University (2012) and another MA in Educational Instruction from University of Jordan (2006). He received his BA in Sharia and Islamic Studies from Qatar Unviersity (1992). Khalid has done extensive research on school of thought and its selected respected scholars. Khalid has served at the Ministry of Education - Qatar for almost 15 years, before joining College of Islamic Studies in 2008.

Bahnaz is currently Senior Research Officer at the Center for Islamic Economics and Finance at CIS-HBKU. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in Islamic Banking from Islamic International University Malaysia. She holds an M.A. in Islamic Banking and Finance from Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and a B.A. in Islamic Jurisprudence from Qatar University.

Zul Hakim works as a researcher for the Center of Islamic Economics and Finance, College of Islamic Studies, Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and is pursuing Ph.D. in Islamic Finance and Economy at HBKU. Having received his bachelor’s degree in Jurisprudence and Principles of Jurisprudence with minors in Economics from Kuwait University (2015), he completed his MSc in Islamic Finance (2018), majoring in Islamic Corporate Finance and Asset Management.

Suzanne Ghadanfar is a research fellow for the MSc program in Islamic Art, Architecture, and Urbanism. She holds a BSc in Architectural Engineering and an MSc in Urban Planning from Aleppo’s Faculty of Architectural Engineering in 2014. Prior to joining HBKU, Suzanne was appointed as a teaching assistant at the University of Architectural Engineering in Syria, where she taught interior and architectural design, urban planning, and composition and modelling.

Bayan Khaled is a research fellow for the MA program in 

Umar Farooq is a multifaceted finance professional with over a decade’s experience in academics and corporate world in India. Before joining CIS as a Research Fellow in the Research Division, he worked as an Assistant Professor at Rizvi Institute of Management Studies and Research, where he taught courses in the domain of finance. Prior to joining Rizvi, Umar Farooq worked with the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) as an Industry Analyst, where he tracked and prepared a monthly report of the petrochemicals industry.

Dr. Mohammed Ghaly is Professor of

Sarah Zahran is a research fellow at Al Qaradawi Center for Islamic Moderation and Renewal (QCIMR) at CIS. She has over a decade’s experience of working on research in social issues, social policy analysis and impact assessment, and international cooperation at national, regional and international levels. Prior to joining HBKU, she worked as a teaching assistant in Sociology at Qatar University; and for the Egyptian Cabinet of Ministers’ Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) as a researcher in the social issues program. Ms.

Mawahib Abubakr is a Research Associate at the Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics – HBKU.  She holds a PhD in Women’s, Gender and Feminist Studies from York University, Toronto; an MA in Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies, The Netherlands; and a BA (Hons) in Political Science from the University of Khartoum, Sudan. She has won several academic awards and grants, such as the African Fellowship at the American University in Cairo; the Ethel Armstrong Award in Women’s Studies, York University; and a grant from the Council for the Development of Social Scie