Mona Siddiqui
Encyclopedia
Mona Siddiqui OBE
(born 1963) is a British Muslim academic. She is Professor of Islamic Studies and Public Understanding at the University of Glasgow
, as well as the Director of its Centre for the Study of Islam, and is a member of the Commission on Scottish Devolution
.
She is also a regular contributor to Thought for the Day
and Sunday
on BBC Radio 4
, and to The Times
, The Scotsman
, The Guardian
, Sunday Herald
and (since February 2007, as its first regular Muslim columnist) The Tablet
.
, Pakistan
in 1963. Her parents were religious and the family prayed and read the Qur'an
together. The family moved from Pakistan to England in 1968. Her father was a psychiatrist and moved to England to carry out post-graduate work in Cambridge
, and his work eventually took the family to Huddersfield
when he gained a substantive job there. The family lived in four successive houses in Huddersfield, moving partly because the family expanded from four to six, and finally into a 1930s detached house in a relatively prosperous area near the town centre. The household was very literary and there were many books in the house. Siddiqui became closest to her sister about seven years younger than herself. Urdu
was generally spoken at home, and so the children became bilingual. Her father also spoke Arabic and worked in Saudi Arabia
for a few years, where he was visited by Siddiqui at the age of about 18 years together with her sister.
At the age of 11 years, Siddique attended Salendine Nook High School
, a multicultural school, where she excelled in English. She later moved to Greenhead College
.
(graduating in 1984), and her MA in Middle-Eastern Studies and PhD in Classical Islamic Law at the University of Manchester
(graduating in 1986 and 1992 respectively). She is or has been a member of the Advisory Boards for Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art, Scottish Asian Arts, IB Tauris Religious Studies project and the Journal of the American Academy of Religion. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
in March 2005 and of the Royal Society of Arts
in October 2005. She is currently the Chair of the BBC's Scottish Religious Advisory Committee. She also holds an Honorary D.Litt. from the University of Wolverhampton and the University of Leicester. In addition she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Civil Laws from the University of Huddersfield.
She has worked at the University of Glasgow
since 1996, and in 1998 founded the Centre for the Study of Islam. In 2006, she was appointed Professor of Islamic Studies and Public Understanding, and served as a Senate
Assessor on the University Court
.
Her areas of specialism are classical Islamic law, law and gender, early Islamic thought, and contemporary legal and ethical issues in Islam. Professor Siddiqui published in 2007 'How to Read the Qur'an' Granta
. Her 4 volume edited collection called `Islam'published by Sage will appear in June 2010. She is currently working on two further monographs with Cambridge UP and Yale UP. She has published articles and chapters on classical Islamic Law and also writes frequently on Christian-Muslim issues.
Siddiqui was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours
for services to inter-faith relations.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 1963) is a British Muslim academic. She is Professor of Islamic Studies and Public Understanding at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, as well as the Director of its Centre for the Study of Islam, and is a member of the Commission on Scottish Devolution
Commission on Scottish Devolution
The Commission on Scottish Devolution, also referred to as the Calman Commission, Scottish Parliament Commission or Review was established by an opposition Labour Party motion passed by the Scottish Parliament on 6 December 2007, with the support of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats...
.
She is also a regular contributor to Thought for the Day
Thought for the Day
Thought for the Day is a daily scripted slot on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 offering "reflections from a faith perspective on issues and people in the news", broadcast at around 7.45 each Monday to Saturday morning...
and Sunday
Sunday (radio programme)
Sunday is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio Four at Sunday, normally from around 7:10 a.m. to shortly before 8 a.m. It features discussions of religious topics, including religious stories that have been recent news...
on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, and to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Sunday Herald
Sunday Herald
The Sunday Herald is a Scottish Sunday newspaper launched on 7 February 1999. The ABC audited circulation in April 2011 showed sales of 31,123.From the start it has combined a centre-left stance with support for Scottish devolution...
and (since February 2007, as its first regular Muslim columnist) The Tablet
The Tablet
The Tablet is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Contributors to its pages have included Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Paul VI ....
.
Early life
Siddiqui was born in KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in 1963. Her parents were religious and the family prayed and read the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
together. The family moved from Pakistan to England in 1968. Her father was a psychiatrist and moved to England to carry out post-graduate work in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, and his work eventually took the family to Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
when he gained a substantive job there. The family lived in four successive houses in Huddersfield, moving partly because the family expanded from four to six, and finally into a 1930s detached house in a relatively prosperous area near the town centre. The household was very literary and there were many books in the house. Siddiqui became closest to her sister about seven years younger than herself. Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
was generally spoken at home, and so the children became bilingual. Her father also spoke Arabic and worked in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
for a few years, where he was visited by Siddiqui at the age of about 18 years together with her sister.
At the age of 11 years, Siddique attended Salendine Nook High School
Salendine Nook High School
Salendine Nook High School is a secondary school in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.School will now become an Academy following governors meeting on 06 July 2011.-School trip:...
, a multicultural school, where she excelled in English. She later moved to Greenhead College
Greenhead College
Greenhead College is a former grammar school and current sixth form college located in Huddersfield, in the English county of West Yorkshire. The current principal is Martin Rostron....
.
Career
Siddiqui took her BA in Arabic and French at the University of LeedsUniversity of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
(graduating in 1984), and her MA in Middle-Eastern Studies and PhD in Classical Islamic Law at the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
(graduating in 1986 and 1992 respectively). She is or has been a member of the Advisory Boards for Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art, Scottish Asian Arts, IB Tauris Religious Studies project and the Journal of the American Academy of Religion. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
in March 2005 and of the Royal Society of Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
in October 2005. She is currently the Chair of the BBC's Scottish Religious Advisory Committee. She also holds an Honorary D.Litt. from the University of Wolverhampton and the University of Leicester. In addition she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Civil Laws from the University of Huddersfield.
She has worked at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
since 1996, and in 1998 founded the Centre for the Study of Islam. In 2006, she was appointed Professor of Islamic Studies and Public Understanding, and served as a Senate
Academic Senate
An Academic Senate is a governing body in some universities and colleges, and is typically the supreme academic authority for the institution.-Scotland:...
Assessor on the University Court
University Court
A University Court is an administrative body of a university in the United Kingdom. In England's Oxbridge such a Court carries out limited judicial functions; whereas in Scotland it is a University's supreme governing body, analogous to a Board of Directors or a Board of Trustees.-England:In the...
.
Her areas of specialism are classical Islamic law, law and gender, early Islamic thought, and contemporary legal and ethical issues in Islam. Professor Siddiqui published in 2007 'How to Read the Qur'an' Granta
Granta
Granta is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centers on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make real." In 2007, The Observer stated, "In its blend of...
. Her 4 volume edited collection called `Islam'published by Sage will appear in June 2010. She is currently working on two further monographs with Cambridge UP and Yale UP. She has published articles and chapters on classical Islamic Law and also writes frequently on Christian-Muslim issues.
Siddiqui was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours
2011 Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours 2011 for the Commonwealth Realms were announced on 7 June 2011 in New Zealand and 11 June 2011 in United Kingdom to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2011.-Privy Councillors:...
for services to inter-faith relations.