Sessional Lecturer
Contact information
s26sheikh@uwaterloo.caShiraz Sheikh is a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto’s Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, completing final requirements towards a PhD in Islamic Intellectual History, with a focus on knowledge and learning in the early Ottoman period. His dissertation topic is on the life and works of Molla Şemseddin Fenari (d. 1430), the first Şeyhül-İslam of the Ottoman state. Currently, he lectures on Islamic Civilization at York University’s Department of History.
Shiraz teaches SI 221R: Islam, the West, and the Modern World. This course examines conceptions of East-West divide and confrontation as well as topics of interest, both geo-political and religious, that influence the relationships of Muslims and the Western world. The focus is on the history of Muslims in the West and the challenges of integration of Muslim communities in pluralistic, secular societies.