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Sayed Fadhil Bahrululum [BEng, MSc, PhD Candidate]

Position: Director

Interests: Jurisprudence (Fiqh), Theology, Political History

Born in Baghdad to a family of renowned religious scholars, Sayed Fadhil is the current Director of the Board. He obtained a BEng from KingstonUniversity in Civil Engineering in 1990 and completed his MSc in Transport Engineering at ImperialCollege in 1997. He is currently writing his PhD in '20th Century Political Thought in Twelver Shi'ism' at The School of Oriental and African Studies [SOAS]. Since 2003, Sayed Fadhil has been pursuing higher studies at the Islamic Seminary in Qum. He also serves as the Director for the Alulbayt Foundation in London.

Hadia Saad: Office Manager

Hadia’s work mainly focuses on:

• Running the day-to-day office
• Events manager and coordinator
• Human Resources Desk Manager
• General Administrative Work

Tel:   +44 (0) 208451 3322    
Email: h.saad@shiastudies.org.uk

Prior to joining CISS, Hadia was head of the English department at the International School of Choueifat, Lebanon.
Hadia holds a BA (Hons) in Humanities from the University of Greenwich and an Adult English Language Teaching certificate from Cambridge University.

Current projects:

• Organising the Second Advisory Board Meeting for 2011;
• Organising the CISS international annual conference in March 2011.

Mohammed Ali Musawi: Researcher

Mohammed Ali’s work mainly focuses on:

• Principles of Islamic jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh)
• Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh)
• Political Islam and Islamist groups
• Current trends in Muslim societies
• Broader political issues of the Middle East

Tel: +44 (0) 208451 3322  
Email: ma.musawi@shiastudies.org.uk

Prior to joining CISS, Mohammed Ali was a Research Fellow at a counter extremism think tank. There, he researched trends in Jihadist ideology, jurisprudential arguments employed by Jihadist groups and Internet Jihadism. Mohammed Ali is fluent in Arabic.

Mohammed Ali holds a BA and MA in Islamic Studies. He has also studied the level of muqaddimāt in a traditional Shī‘ī seminary in Damascus, Syria. 

Current projects:

• Researching and producing articles for an online Shī‘ī encyclopaedia
• Preparing a monograph on the Usuli revival in the 18th century

Selected Publications:

Books

• Cheering for Osama: How Jihadists use Internet Discussion Forums, London: Quilliam, 2010.
• A Selected Translation of the LIFG Recantation Document, London: Quilliam, 2009.

Sajad Jiyad: Head of Research

Sajad’s work mainly focuses on:

• Politics of the Middle East
• The formative period of Shi’a Islam
• Islamic jurisprudence and theology
• Contemporary Iraq

Tel:  +44 (0) 208451 3322    
Email: s.jiyad@shiastudies.org.uk

In his role as head of research at CISS, Sajad has helped build the centre’s resources, especially the library, and contribute to the portfolio of CISS. He regularly attends and presents at conferences and is aiming to increase the public’s awareness of the centre’s work.

Previously studying at medical school in King’s College London, Sajad moved onto Hawza studies at Qum before returning to Queen Mary, University of London to read Economics and Politics. He completed his MA in Islamic Studies at the Islamic College, London and is looking to continue onto a PhD. Sajad is fluent in Arabic and English.

Current projects:

• Compiling entries in a new encyclopaedia on Shi’a Islam
• Preparing a monograph on Shaykh Tusi and the Hawza of Najaf


Selected Publications:

• ‘Samarra: Shi’i Heritage and Culture’ in Imranali Panjwani (ed.), The Shi’a of Samarra: The Heritage and Politics of a Community in Iraq Samarra, London: I.B. Tauris, 2011).

Yahya Seymour: Researcher

Yahya’s work mainly focuses on:

• Early Imami Hadith Literature
• Classical and Contemporary discussions on Imamology
• The Development of The Science of the Narrators of Hadith in Imami Shi'ism
• Islamic jurisprudence

Tel:   +44 (0) 208451 3322    
Email: y.seymour@shiastudies.org.uk

Prior to joining CISS, Yahya was a student at the Islamic College, London, where he studied for his bachelor's degree in Islamic Studies, as well as at the Hawza 'Ilmiyyah in London. Yahya is fluent in Arabic, both classical and modern standard.

Yahya holds a BA degree in Islamic Studies and a Diploma in Arabic Language. He is preparing to start his MA degree in Islamic Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London.

Current projects:

• Contributor, Online Shi’i Encyclopaedia;
• Preparing a translation of Fihrist al-Najashi.