Zainab Alwani is an Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at the Howard University School of Divinity. She was the Program Director and an Adjunct Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Northern Virginia Community College as well as Adjunct Professor of Arabic Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. She developed courses in Arabic Studies that focus on the link between Islamic philosophy, language and culture. She also taught Islamic history, law and comparative religion at Wesley Theological Seminary and the Washington National Cathedral. She received her Ph.D. in Islamic Sciences from the International Islamic University in Malaysia. 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 also serves on the board of KARAMA.

Dr. Alwani has authored and co-authored a number of scholarly articles and chapter 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. She has also published a variety of scholarly articles on the topics of Fiqh legislation, Maqasid Al shariah, Peace Jihad and Conflict Resolution in America, Al Ghazali and his Methodology, Aisha’s “Istidrakat” Commentaries and the Methodological Premises: Reclaiming a Lost Legacy. She has several upcoming publications focused on Qur’an and gender relations, marriage and divorce in American Muslim Community, Shari’ah and family law in America, Muslim women scholarship, and Fiqh for Minorities: An analytic perspective.

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), Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), The American Academy of Religion (AAR), The Abrahamic Roundtable at the Washington National Cathedral, the Woman’s Faith and Development Alliance (WFDA), and The African Studies Association (ASA). She has been awarded Who’s Who among America’s Teachers for three consecutive years from 2003 to 2006. She was also awarded the “Who’s Who in America” for 2011.