Nevin Reda El-Tahry will join Emmanuel College as a fulltime faculty member for a two-year period, beginning July 1, 2012. In her role as Assistant Professor of Muslim Studies, Nevin will work with students at both the master's and doctoral levels, and will teach courses within the Muslim Studies stream of the College's Master of Pastoral Studies Program.
As a lecturer at both the University of Toronto and Huron University College, Nevin has taught a wide variety of courses in both the classical and modern traditions of Islam. Her research focuses on Islamic history, classical and modern Islamic thought, the Qur'an, Sufism, Shi'ism, Islamic law, women, and ethics.
Nevin holds a PhD from the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto. In her dissertation, Nevin identified a compositional schema and unifying theme for the longest and most challenging of the Qur'an's chapters, the Surat al-Baqara. In addition to her PhD, Nevin also holds a Master of Arts and a PhD minor in the area of Biblical Hebrew Language and Literature from the University of Toronto. Nevin completed her undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University.
Presently Nevin is an active member in both the Women's Islamic Initiative for Spirituality and Equality, and the Canadian Council of Muslim Women. In 2010, she was the recipient of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women's Women Who Inspire award. This award is given each year to five Canadian Muslim women who serve as role models for girls and women through their commitment to improving the lives of others, to women's quality, and by their participation in grassroots activism and civic engagement.
In addition to her extensive research and teaching experience, Nevin also brings with her a familiarity with Emmanuel College and its community, having served as Coordinator for Emmanuel's Canadian Certificate in Muslim Studies Program from 2009-2011. Nevin was also instrumental in advising Emmanuel College through the process that led to the inception and development of the certificate program.
"Nevin is an exciting scholar whose work brings richness and texture to important discussions taking place between Christianity and Islam," says Emmanuel College Principal Mark G. Toulouse. "As a public intellectual, she makes accessible to broader publics her expertise in the Qur'an and in the historical and theological background of Islam in ways that bear upon the major issues facing Islam in the world today."
"The Islamic faith tradition is an exciting and diverse field of inquiry with its history, scriptures and theology often in conversation with those of Christianity," says Nevin Reda. "I am thrilled to share some of the tradition's rich heritage with students at Emmanuel College, as we grow and learn together in an institution that has contributed so much to the fabric of Canada."