Since its inception in 2015, as a joint initiative of a network of Sunni and Shia scholars, CIMS has been at the forefront of providing a platform for honest, open and critical engagement on issues of historical and theological tension amongst Sunni and Shi’i thought.
Meetings (link), held at least four times a year, gather scholars to discuss issues historically understood as points of contention and sometimes deep misunderstanding, learning from each other, identifying points of agreement, difference and scope for reconciling relations through scholarly harmony and understanding.
These gatherings have become a platform for CIMS to work beyond the distinction of Sunni and Shia, thinking together, towards addressing shared challenges.
Dr Yasir Qadhi
Shahanaz Begum
Dr. Fella Lahmar
Shaykh Hassan ibn Ali Al-Kittani
Shaykh Zakaria Zaini
Dr. Munzela Raza
Sayyid Wajee ul-Hasan Shah
Shaykh Yeamin Arafat
Shaykh Adam Ramadhan
Shaykh Atabek Shukurov
Director, Maturidi Institute
Dr Seyfeddin Kara
Fellow, University of Toronto
Shaykh Vinay Khetia
Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto & Academic Director, Shia Research Institute
Syed Naveed Shah
Imam, Keith Lane Mosque
Dr Amra Bone
Muslim Chaplain, University of Portsmouth
Shaykh Abu Jafar
Scholar
Mufti Muhammad Farooq Alwi
Imam and Khatib, Jami Masjid, Birmingham
Ayatollah Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad
Dean, Dep. Islamic Studies & Professor of Law, Tehran University
Maulana Abdul Hadi al-Umari
Head, Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith Birmingham
Sayed Hossein Qazwini
Public Speaker & Lecturer, Islamic Seminary Karbala
Qari Zahirudin Tahir
Imam, al-Maktoum Mosque
Prof. Iqbal Asaria
Adjunct Professor, INCEIF Malaysia
Mahdiyah Abdul-Hussain
Lecturer, Al-Mahdi Institute
Shaykh Amjad Abbas
Research Fellow. Al-Basirah, Islamabad
Shaykh Ayman Yacoubi
Lecturer, University Birmingham
Syed Hadi Rizvi
Scholar & Lecturer
Shaykh Ramadhan Kamau
Scholar
Mufti Abdul Majeed Nadeem
Imam, Handsworth Mosque
Maulana Abdul Hamid Kusuri
Chaplain, University of Wolverhampton
Dr. Amina Inloes
Public Speaker & Lecturer at ICAS, London
Professor Liyakat Takim
Sharjah Chair in Global Islam, McMaster University
Shaykh Wazir Hussain Turabi
Scholar
Shaykh Nuru Mohammed
Public speaker & Imam at KSIMC, Birmingham
Maulana Qiyamuddin
Head: Dar ul Uloom Coventry Road
Shaykh Mahmood Khattab Fawzy
Imam, Smethwick Jamia Masjid
Shaykh Muhammad Shahid Ullah
Imam, Jami Mosque Birmingham
Shaykh Arek Miernik
Scholar
Dr Mohammad Khalid
Director, Centre for Intra-Muslim Studies
Shaykh Ayub Rashid
Lecturer in Islamic studies, ICAS London & Public Speaker
Shaykh Arif Abdulhussain
Senior Lecturer & Director of Al-Mahdi Institute
Rukhsana Bhanji
Team Member, CIMS
Shaykh Mohammed Reza Tajri
Lecturer in Arabic Language, AMI
Dr Ali Reza Bhojani
Co-director, The Centre for Intra-Muslim Studies
Dr Syed Jaafar Fadlallah
Lecturer, Al-Mahdi Institute & Islamic Shar’i Institute
Shaykh Umar Ramadhan
CIMS Fellow
Shaykh Ali R Khaki
CIMS Coordinator
Adrees Sharif
Management, UKIM Paigham e Islam, Birmingham
Shaykh Mahmood Dhalla
Public Speaker
Shaykh Mohammed Sajjad
Imam of Paigham Islam Trust, Birmingham
Shaykh Kumail Rajani
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Exeter
Farooq Mulla
Chaplain, Rampton Hospital
Shaykh Jaffer Ladak
Imam, Bab ul Im, Leeds
Professor Seyed Mohammad Ghari S Fatemi
Lecturer, Shahid Beheshti University & Al-Mahdi Institute
Dr Hashim Bata
Research Fellow & Lecturer in Usul al-Fiqh at AMI
Shaykh Mohammad Amin Evans
Director of Theology at the Association of British Muslims
Shaykh Mohammad Shukri
Lecturer in Qur'an & Hadith Studies
Hafiz Mohammad Saeed
Imam, Handsworth Islamic Centre
Dr Ali Fanaei
Senior Lecturer , Al-Mahdi Institute
Shaykh Mohammad Saeed Bahmanpour
Public Speaker & Scholar
Shaykh Abbas Mirza
Programme Leader for BA Hawza / Foundation at ICAS
Syed Mohammad Naqvi
Public Speaker
Dr Wahid Amin
Research Fellow & Lecturer in Muslim Pholosophy at AMI
Hafiz Abdul Ghafoor
Member of Dawah project at IIPC, Birmingham
Shaykh Mohammad Sarfraz Madani
Deputy head of Al-Hijrah school, Birmingham & EC member at Central Mosque
Hafiz Mohammad Idrees
Advisor for Religious Education in UK schools
Dr Khurram Bashir
Researcher & Scholar
Maulana Mohammad Ashraf Qureshi
Scholar
Maulana Ayaaz Ahmad Ghulam Nabi
Public Speaker
Shaykh Riaz Walji
Lecturer in Philosophy at AMI
Dr Mohammadreza Kalantari
Research Fellow & Deputy Director, CIWAS
Dr Yasir Qadhi
Shahanaz Begum
Meetings Presented
Dr. Fella Lahmar
Meetings Presented
Shaykh Hassan ibn Ali Al-Kittani
Shaykh Yeamin Arafat
Meetings Presented
Shaykh Atabek Shukurov
Director, Maturidi Institute
Shaykh Atabek is a scholar in Hanafi fiqh who began his religious studies at the tender age of ten, completing his studies at the age of 21 at Jamia Isalmia, Uzbekistan. He furthered his studies in Damascus at the Takhassus Institute which is affiliated to al-Azhar University. The Shaykh is currently the director of the Maturidi Institute where he teaches in the Alamiya progamme and is also a teacher in herbal medicine at the Ibn Sina Institute. The Shaykh can be regularly seen on British TV and is continually involved in writing and researching on various topics.
Meetings Presented
Dr Seyfeddin Kara
Fellow, University of Toronto
Meetings Presented
Shaykh Vinay Khetia
Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto & Academic Director, Shia Research Institute
Meetings Presented
Syed Naveed Shah
Imam, Keith Lane Mosque
Meetings Presented
Dr Amra Bone
Muslim Chaplain, University of Portsmouth
Shaykh Abu Jafar
Scholar
Meetings Presented
Mufti Muhammad Farooq Alwi
Imam and Khatib, Jami Masjid, Birmingham
Meetings Presented
Ayatollah Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad
Dean, Dep. Islamic Studies & Professor of Law, Tehran University
Meetings Presented
Maulana Abdul Hadi al-Umari
Head, Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith Birmingham
Meetings Presented
Sayed Hossein Qazwini
Public Speaker & Lecturer, Islamic Seminary Karbala
Meetings Presented
Qari Zahirudin Tahir
Imam, al-Maktoum Mosque
Meetings Presented
Mahdiyah Abdul-Hussain
Lecturer, Al-Mahdi Institute
Shaykh Ayman Yacoubi
Lecturer, University Birmingham
Meetings Presented
Syed Hadi Rizvi
Scholar & Lecturer
Meetings Presented
Mufti Abdul Majeed Nadeem
Imam, Handsworth Mosque
Meetings Presented
Maulana Abdul Hamid Kusuri
Chaplain, University of Wolverhampton
Dr. Amina Inloes
Public Speaker & Lecturer at ICAS, London
Meetings Presented
Professor Liyakat Takim
Sharjah Chair in Global Islam, McMaster University
Meetings Presented
Shaykh Mahmood Khattab Fawzy
Imam, Smethwick Jamia Masjid
Dr Mohammad Khalid
Director, Centre for Intra-Muslim Studies
Shaykh Ayub Rashid
Lecturer in Islamic studies, ICAS London & Public Speaker
Shaykh Ayub Rashid is a graduate of the Islamic Seminary of Qom, Iran. He holds a BA in Islamic law and MA in Islam and Community Studies and is a qualified Muslim Chaplain. He is currently the Imam at Khairul Amal Trust, East London and is also a lecturer of Advanced Studies in ICAS, London teaching Islamic Law & Jurisprudence.
Meetings Presented
Shaykh Arif Abdulhussain
Senior Lecturer & Director of Al-Mahdi Institute
Rukhsana Bhanji
Team Member, CIMS
Shaykh Mohammed Reza Tajri
Lecturer in Arabic Language, AMI
Meetings Presented
Dr Ali Reza Bhojani
Co-director, The Centre for Intra-Muslim Studies
Dr Syed Jaafar Fadlallah
Lecturer, Al-Mahdi Institute & Islamic Shar’i Institute
Meetings Presented
Shaykh Umar Ramadhan
CIMS Fellow
Shaykh Ali R Khaki
CIMS Coordinator
Meetings Presented
Adrees Sharif
Management, UKIM Paigham e Islam, Birmingham
Adrees Sharif is an active member of UK Islamic mission, involved in youth projects in his local community and is chair of the membership committee at the Muslim Council of Britain. He is also a member of National Education Team and International Relief Team, Mosaic Mentoring (HRH Prince's Trust) and the West Midlands Police Advisory Group.
Shaykh Mahmood Dhalla
Public Speaker
Shaykh Mahmood Dhalla has a MA in Philosophy from the University of Birmingham. He began his traditional hawza studies at Al-Mahdi Institute, Birmingham in 1993 and He has been involved in various roles within the Institute.
Meetings Presented
Shaykh Mohammed Sajjad
Imam of Paigham Islam Trust, Birmingham
Shaykh Mohammad Sajjad obtained his alim degree from an Jamia al-Arabiyyah in Gojranwala, Pakistan. He completed his MA in Arabic & Islamic studies at the University of Peshawar and obtained his teaching qualification from Agha Khan University in Karachi. Currently, he is the Imam and khatib of the Paigham Islam Trust in Birmingham.
Meetings Presented
Shaykh Kumail Rajani
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Exeter
Shaykh Dr Kumail Rajani is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Islamic Studies at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, where he completed his doctoral thesis. He is currently working on the Law, Authority and Learning in Shiite Islam project (http://www.lawalisi.eu/) with Professor Robert Gleave. He has undertaken seminary studies in Qum for over 17 years during which he attended the lectures of renowned scholars. He has also taught Islamic Law and Society at the University of Exeter, and Islamic History at Al-Mahdi Institute.
Farooq Mulla
Chaplain, Rampton Hospital
Shaykh Jaffer Ladak
Imam, Bab ul Im, Leeds
Sheikh Jafferhas studied at Jaami'a Imam as-Sadiq (a) of Ayatollah al-Qazwini, Hawza Imam al-Jawad (a) of Grand Ayatollah Syed Taqi al-Modarresi in holy Kerbala and Al Mahdi Institute, Birmingham. He has authored two books, The Hidden Treasure (2011) and The Ways of The Righteous (2015) with various other written works in the pipeline.
Professor Seyed Mohammad Ghari S Fatemi
Lecturer, Shahid Beheshti University & Al-Mahdi Institute
Professor Seyed Fatemi pursued seminarian education for over 13 years in the Hawza illmiyya of Qom, Iran, where he studied Islamic Jurisprudence and Legal Theory under the supervision of renowned teachers. He is currently a faculty member at Shahid Beheshti University and Al-Mahdi Institute, supervising PhD candidates and lecturing on the Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights, Islam and Human Rights, and Legal Hermeneutics. He also teaches the Public Governance in Islamic Thought module, as part of Al-Mahdi Institute’s collaborative Masters in Islamic Studies with the University of Birmingham.
Meetings Presented
Dr Hashim Bata
Research Fellow & Lecturer in Usul al-Fiqh at AMI
After successfully graduating from both the Al-Mahdi Institute's Four-year Hawza programme and the BA (Hons) in Islamic Studies at the Islamic College for Advanced studies, Dr Hashim Bata went on to pursue a MA in ‘Islam in Contemporary Societies’ at the University of Warwick and subsequently his PhD thesis on Shi'ite legal epistomology submitted to the University of Warwick. He currently teaches Islamic legal theory at Al-Mahdi Institute & The Thematic Study of Shi’ism as part of the collaborative programme with The University of Birmingham.
Shaykh Mohammad Amin Evans
Director of Theology at the Association of British Muslims
Shaykh Muhammad Amin Evans holds a BA (Hons) in Humanities with Religious Studies and an MA in Islamic Studies. In teaching at the Al-Mahdi Institute, ICAS and Queen’s Foundation he has delivered undergraduate courses in Fiqh, Research Methodology, the Comparative Study of Religions, Islam and has also given numerous Islamic lectures in masjids, churches, colleges and television studios.
Hafiz Mohammad Saeed
Imam, Handsworth Islamic Centre
Dr Ali Fanaei
Senior Lecturer , Al-Mahdi Institute
Meetings Presented
Dr Khurram Bashir
Researcher & Scholar
Meetings Presented
A hub providing scholarly forums dedicated towards reconciling relations amongst Muslims through better understanding the diversity and difference within and across Muslim traditions.
In 2015, a small group of scholars including Dr Mohammad Khalid and Shaykh Arif Abdul Hussain, agreed to hold regular meetings bringing together Sunni and Shi’a scholars to discuss issues of contention and misunderstanding towards increasing mutual understanding and harmony amongst Muslims. The first years activities, a series of meetings and discussions which launched CIMS, were kindly supported by a generous donation from an individual based in South London who wished to remain anonymous. The donor had spent many years working to bridge relationships between Sunni and Shi’a community leaders and activists, and through this work recongised the need and importance of increasing understanding amongst scholars- the core remit of CIMS.
The funding for all CIMS activities, through the Al-Mahdi Institute, is sourced from grass roots charitable donations.
If you would like to support the work of CIMS through a charitable donation or endowment contact [email protected] or donate here
CIMS meetings are held at least 4-6 times a year
The co-directors, in consultations with broader CIMS members, invite specific scholars to address the pre-agreed themes identified for each CIMS meetings. These are often existing CIMS members, yet there is a concerted effort to seek to continually broaden the CIMS network through inviting a wide range of diverse Sunni and Shia voices to present at CIMS.
Hosting CIMS scholarly meetings and developing the CIMS scholarly network, producing resources and content that can inform the wider Muslim Community
CIMS is governed within the structures of the Al-Mahdi Institute, a U.K. registered charity. CIMS has two co-directors, Dr Mohammad Khalid and Dr Ali-Reza Bhojani, that oversee CIMS activities in consultation with CIMS members and the broader CIMS network. CIMS activities are driven by a part-time paid member of staff, Shaykh Ali-Redha Khaki, who combines this work with a wider remit of responsibilities at the Al-Mahdi Institute. CIMS benefits greatly from the broader administrative and infrastructural support of the Al-Mahdi Institute.
CIMS meetings hold a variety of formats, but all share in their commitment to open, honest discussions in a spirit of collegiality towards shared learning. A meeting will typically include presentations on a specific theme from different perspectives (e.g. Sunna and Shi’a) followed by extensive, critical scholarly discussions amongst participants. Videos and resources, such as detailed papers or PowerPoint presentations, are made available after the event. A written summary of the event is always posted online, this often includes agreed outcomes of similarities and differences, sharing the scholarly content of the session with a wider grassroots audience.
CIMS has a growing network of scholars from around the world that participate in its regular meetings. This increasingly diverse group has grown organically out of a small group of Sunni and Shia scholars who were the founding members. Participants within meetings are by invitation of the directors. CIMS welcome recommendations for participants who have a commitment to shared learning, despite difference, towards mutual understanding. We particularly welcome recommendations that would help us better reflect the diversity of scholars and scholarship informing the Muslim community around the world.
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