The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS) is a Recognised Independent Centre of the University of Oxford

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It was established in 1985 with the aim of encouraging the academic study of Islam

Islamic studies

In a Muslim context, Islamic studies can be an umbrella term for all virtually all of academia, both originally researched and as defined by the Islamization of knowledge...

 and the Muslim world

Muslim world

The term Muslim world has several meanings. In a religious sense, it refers to those who adhere to the teachings of Islam, referred to as Muslims. In a cultural sense, it refers to Islamic civilization, inclusive of non-Muslims living in that civilization...

. The centre's Patron is Prince Charles

Charles, Prince of Wales

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...

.

A new building for the centre is situated to the east of central Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

 on Marston Road

Marston Road

Marston Road is a road in the east of Oxford, England. It links the junction of St Clements and the foot of Headington Hill to the south with the suburb of New Marston to the north. This is a mini-roundabout connecting with Cherwell Drive and Headley Way at the northern end. To the north is the ...

, next to Magdalen College

Magdalen College, Oxford

Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...

. The building blends the architecture of traditional Oxford colleges with a classical Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

ic style. It includes a mosque

Mosque

A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...

 with a striking dome

Dome

A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....

 and minaret

Minaret

A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....

, a new addition to the famous Oxford skyline.

The founding director of the centre is Dr Farhan Nizami

Farhan Nizami

Farhan Nizami CBE, is the Prince of Wales Fellow in the study of the Islamic World, Magdalen College, Oxford and the Founder Director of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. He read Modern History at Wadham College. From 1983 he has been a Fellow of St Cross College: Rothman’s Fellow in Muslim...

, CBE.

Present and former fellows (listed alphabetically)

• Hassan Abedin
• Mohammad Akram
  Mohammad Akram Nadwi
  Mohammad Akram Nadwi is a scholar of Islam from the Indian city of Jaunpur. He is currently a research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies.-Education:...
  
  
• Khalid Al-Azri
• Afifi Al-Akiti
  Afifi al-Akiti
  Dato' Dr Muhammad Afifi al-Akiti BA , MA , MSt , DPhil , MSIEPM – also known as Shaykh Afifi – is Fellow in Islamic Studies at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, and Islamic Centre Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Theology, University of Oxford, and is a Fellow of Worcester...
  
  
• Jonathan Allen
• David Browning
• Thomas Dahnhardt
• Adeel Malik
• Basil Mustafa
• Farhan Nizami
  Farhan Nizami
  Farhan Nizami CBE, is the Prince of Wales Fellow in the study of the Islamic World, Magdalen College, Oxford and the Founder Director of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. He read Modern History at Wadham College. From 1983 he has been a Fellow of St Cross College: Rothman’s Fellow in Muslim...
  
  
• James Piscatori
• Francis Robinson
  Francis Robinson
  Professor Francis Christopher Rowland Robinson is a British academic who was awarded a CBE in 2006 for his services to higher education and his research into the history of Islam....
  
  
• Muhammad Talib