Zainab Alwani, Ph.D.

Dr. Alwani received her Ph.D. in Islamic Sciences from the International Islamic University in Malaysia. She is currently the Program Director and an Adjunct Professor of Arabic Language and Islamic Studies at Northern Virginia Community College. She also teaches Arabic Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, where she developed courses in Arabic Studies that focus on the link between Islamic philosophy, language and culture. She also teaches Islamic studies and comparative religion at a number of consortium institutions including Wesley Theological Seminary, the Washington National Cathedral and Cordoba University.

As an educator, Dr. Alwani brings over 15 years of teaching and curriculum development experience in Islamic and Arabic Studies. She is a researcher, social and community activist, and the first female Jurist to serve on the board of the Fiqh council of North America. She is also a board member of KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, and the Foundation for Appropriate and Immediate Temporary Help (FAITH), a community based-organization in Herndon, Virginia.

She has devoted herself to numerous causes including contemporary Muslim women’s and family issues, female empowerment in Muslim American communities, domestic violence, and conflict resolution. Her courses include Islamic jurisprudence, Islamic history, Modern Islam, women in Islam and Islamic civilization and culture. She is a regular speaker at academic conferences, workshops and community events.

Dr. Alwani has co-authored a number of books such as Change from within: Diverse Perspectives on Domestic Violence in Muslim Communities; What Islam Says about Domestic Violence; and Perspectives: Arabic Language and Culture in Films, published by Alucen Learning, USA.She has also published scholarly articles in renowned publications on Aisha (ra)’s commentaries on Hadith, Islamic Jurisprudence, conflict resolution in America, andAbu-Hamid Al-Ghazali and his methodology. She is the co-author of “Al-Sunna and The Prophethood”

In addition to her academic and social activities Dr. Alwani is also an active member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), The Educational Leadership (ASCD), The American Association of Teachers of Arabic (AATA), The Abrahamic Roundtable at the Washington National Cathedral, the Woman’s Faith and Development Alliance (WFDA), and the Middle East Studies Association (MESA). She has been awarded “Who's Who among America's Teachers” for three consecutive years during 2003-2006.