CV

Muhammad Amin-Evans. CV notes

clearbook14@hotmail.com

D.O.B. 1950.

Shaykh al-Hajj Muhammad Amin Evans is editor of the 'Shi'a Affairs Journal', Director of Theology for the Association of British Muslims, a Committee Member of the British Chapter of the International Association for Religious Freedom and Secretary to the IARF Peace Commission.

Married with four young children he was born in the City of Birmingham. After completing secondary education worked as a Laboratory Technician at a Technical School and later re-trained for Diesel & Hydraulic Engineering eventually designing and building earth-boring machines. Acknowledging his Islamic faith in his early forties he went on to study at the Al-Mahdi Institute graduating with an MA degree. He taught Introductory Islamic Law at the Institute, the Comparative Study of Religions and Research Methodology before becoming Director of the Information and Inter-Religious Affairs Department; Head of Al-Mahdi Summer School and a Member of the Admission Board.

The work of the department was recognised at a national level when the Institute was short-listed for an award for its work in the fields of religious dialogue and building community cohesion at the Muslim News Awards for Excellence 2005.

He is now engaged in independent research, consulting and has a busy schedule of speaking engagements at schools, colleges, mosques, churches and temples.

In addition to his qualifications Islamic Studies he has a First in Humanities with Religious Studies. This was begun to experience distance learning as a student, view the contrast in methodologies used for the study of religions between departments of Theology and Humanities as a personal experience but became, one may suspect, a method of indulging his personal interests in religions, art, history, archaeology, urbanism and philosophy.

Qualifications:

1969, Shop Stewards Certificate (T&GWU)

1974, Diesel & Hydraulic Fitting (C & G)

1996, Teaching Certificate (Adult Ed)

1997 First Certificate in Higher Islamic Studies

1999, Islamic Studies Intermediate Cert (Al-Mahdi)

2002, MA Islamic Studies, Sultan al-Afadhil, (Al-Mahdi)

2004, Shahadat al-Aalamiya fil Uloom al-Arabiya wa al-Islamia, 1^st Class, (Wafaq al-Mudaris al-Shia, Pk.)

2007, Certificate in Humanities (Open)

2010, BA (Hons) Humanities with Religious Studies (Open) 1^st Class

2010, Diploma of Religious Studies (Open)

Plus a folder full of vocational certificates.

Awards:

2002, Award of Appreciation for hrlp with 'Psalms of Islam' Swahili Version, Bilal Muslim Mission of Scandinavia.

2009, Honorary Member, Warrington Islamic Association.

2010, Annual Muhammad (PBUH) Event, Mohebban Youth Foundation.

2011, Outstanding Contribution, Reprieve.

2011, Outstanding Achievement, International Imam Hussein Council.

2012, Al-Mahdi (atf) Award for Services to Religion.

Relevant Work:

1993-2006 Al-Mahdi Institute; lecturer in Fiqh, Comparative Study of Religions and Research Methodology.

2000-2007 Al Mahdi Institute; Head of Inter Religious Affairs, Head of Summer Schools and in 2004 and 2005 co-organiser of a tripartite conference with University of Birmingham and Seyyed Beheshti, Tehran. Editor of Al-Mahdi Journal, Pastoral Duties; Nikah and Talaq procedures.

2006 Islamic College for Advanced Studies; Visiting Lecturer in Comparative Study of Religions.

2006-2007 St Paul’s Community Development Trust; Lead of Faith Consultation Team.

2008- Shia Affairs Journal; Chief Consulting Editor

2009- Consultant and Vice-Chair Britslam Partnership

2010-2011 Advisor on Faith and Religions to Patriata Films

2010-2011 Consultant to Cordoba Initiative, New York

2011 IIHC Interfaith Advisor

2012 Director of Theology, AoBM.

Recent/Current Activities:

Representing the Al-Mahdi Institute interest in conferences with, Centre for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, University of Birmingham, The UNESCO Chair for Human Rights and Democracy at Shahid Beheshti University, and the University ofWaitako, New Zealand.

Lecturing undergraduate Research Methodology-Using and Referencing Electronic Sources. 2006

Seconded lead worker to the ‘Faith Consultation Team’ at St Paul’s Community Development Trust. 2006-7.

Member of a multi-faith seminar/workgroup series on ‘Faith and Ecology’. The project was initiated at Church House.

Co-Founder of Muslim/Jewish Dialogue Group (2009)

Spiritual Advisor to Midland Afghan Community

Consultant to IARF Peace Commission

His current personal research is in reappraising the hermeneutic methods of von Herder and Schleiermacher in relation to approaching a system of ‘emotional’ or ‘sensual’ interpretation of the Quran.

Teaching Experience:

Lecturer, Al-Mahdi Institute, Fiqh, 1994-97, Comparative Study of Religions, 2006,

Teacher, Islamic History, Clifton Road Mosque Madrassah, 1994-5.

Course Tutor, Adult Education at Al-Mahdi Institute, joint project with City College, Birmingham, 1997.

Tutor, Learning About Islam, org. Dr C. Hewer, Interfaith Advisor to the Bishop of Birmingham, 2003.

Tutor, Dayschool, Centre for Lifelong Learning, University of Birmingham, 2003-4.

Guest Lecturer, United College of the Ascension, 2005.

Seminar, ‘Influence of Romano-Christian Law Upon the Development of Sharia’, ICAS, 2005.

Guest Contributor, Queen’s Theological Foundation, 2005.

Visiting Lecturer in the Comparative Study of Religions, ICAS, 2006

Guest Lecturer, United College of the Ascension, 2006.

Associater Lecturer, Queen's Theological Foundation, 2010

Afiliations:

Member of the Board of Trustees for the Roger Hooker Memorial Trust, Vice Chairman of the Balsall Heath Forum Ltd, former School Governor at Clifton Infant School, Editorial Board of Balsall Heathen Community Magazine, Editorial Advisory Board of Interface Journal, Faith Advisory Group for BCC (Sparkbrook District), Ambassador for Peace, member of Balsall Heath Inter-Faith Group, member World Congress of Faiths, committee member IARF, Executive Member of West Midlands Faiths Forum, Islamic Awareness Week and the Islamic Society of Britain.

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Publications, Papers and Lectures:

A Glossary of Fiqh Terminology, Birmingham, 1996.

Instructions to the Dead (co-ed), Birmingham.

Whither Islam, Lent Lectures to United Reform Church, Birmingham, 2001.

Is Shaving Ones Beard Unlawful (ed), Birmingham, 2002.

Whose Minbar Is It, Seatle, 2002.

The Development of Religious Tolerance in Birmingham, Vihara Opening Conference, Birmingham, 2002.

Contemporary Tafsir, London, 2002.

The Importance of Repentance and Striving Until Death, IUS, London, 2002.

Al-Mahr-A Fair Consideration, World Conference, Toronto, 2002.

Muslim and Christian Relations, Lent Lectures, Immanuel Church, Birmingham, 2003.

The Development of Islamic Theology, Newman Association, Birmingham, 2003.

Islamic Higher Education in the UK, Report to the King Baudouin Foundation, 2004.

Avoiding the Abhorrent, Marriage and its Alternatives, conference paper, 2005.

Keynote Speech, Believing in the West Midlands Conference, West Midlands Faith Forum and RAWM, 2005

The Validity of Religious Marriage Prior to a Civil Ceremony, Areas of Tension Between Government and Families, conference paper, IIFWP, London, 2005.

Islamic Marriage, IUS, Manchester, 2005.

Citizenship, CCJ, Birmingham, 2005.

The Validity of Marriage Prior to Civil Ceremony, Interface, Vol 2, No 1, 2007.

Response to ‘Interfaith Teaching: Preparing clergy for a multifaith society.’, Rabbi Michael Shire, CCJ, 2007.

Pluralism, Holography and Subatomic Particles, Unitarian Midland Union 2007

The Month of Ramadhan, Ecumenical Order of Ministry, 2008

Islam, Worcester Theological Society, 2008

Set in Concrete: Muslim and Christian Encounters Over Words, Words in Action, London, Heythrop Institute, with Seyyed Nadeem Kazmi 2009

An Alternative Tafsir, to accompany Ahlulbayt TV series, (in preparation) 2010

The Essence of Covenant and Constitution-A Discussion on Duty and Rights, University of St Thomas, St Paul, Minnesota 2010