A native of Zanzibar, Tanzania, Professor Liyakat Takim is the Sharjah Chair in Global Islam at McMaster University in Canada. A prolific writer and speaker, he has authored and/or translated eight books. He is currently working on his ninth book on Qur’anic exegesis. He has also written more than one hundred and forty scholarly works which have been published in various journals, books, and encyclopedias.
Professor Takim’s research interests lie in topics such as reformation in Islam, Qur’anic exegesis, the role of custom in shaping Islamic law, Islam in the western diaspora, Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic mystical traditions, Islamophobia, the treatment of women in Islam law and many other topics.
His latest book, titled Shi‘ism Revisited: Ijtihad and Reformation in Contemporary Times. was published by Oxford University Press in January 2022.
Professor Takim has also spoken at more than one hundred and twenty academic national and international conferences. He has spoken in different parts of the world ranging from Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, to East Africa, Dubai and North America.
Professor Takim has taught at several universities and is actively engaged in dialogue with different faith communities.