Zainab Alwani, M.A. is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Islamic Studies at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in the area of Fiqh and Usul al Fiqh. She teaches the Arabic language and culture and Introduction to Islam at Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) and at The School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. She has developed courses in Arabic Studies examining the link between Islamic Philosophy, language and culture at these institutions. Zainab Alwani also holds a Master in Islamic Studies from The Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences and has studied Shariah and Law at Omdurman Islamic University in Sudan. She is a member of the Fiqh Council of North America. She has published What Islam Says About Domestic Violence and is in the process of publishing the The Role of Women in Fiqhi Literature.