ISMA — Student list — Middle East Institute

Posts in ISMA

Natasha Shahid

Natasha Shahid

Natasha Shahid was born and raised in Pakistan, where she earned an MA in History with distinction and an MPhil in Asian Studies. She would like to describe herself as a historian of the medieval Middle East, along with her native South Asia, and her primary area of focus as the history of the early Nizārī Ismā'īlis - also known as the 'Order of the Assassins' - on which she has produced one thesis, an academic paper, as well as several newspaper features, so far. Natasha also has several years of teaching experience, along with a decade in journalism in which she wrote, edited, researched, and published extensively.

At Columbia MEI, she has continued to explore the history of the early Nizārī Ismā'īlis, working with the famed Ilkhānid historical compilations, the Jāmi' al-Tawārīkh and the Zubdat al-Tawārīkh for her Islamic Studies MA thesis. Apart from these valuable texts, she is also exploring the material culture of the Nizārī Ismā'īlīs of Alamūt, with hopes of enhancing our understanding of this thus far largely misunderstood polity.

In addition to her primary area of interest, Natasha is also interested in Quranic hermeneutics, the place of outer space in Islamic scripture, and - being a mom of two - the ethics of parenting in Islam. She welcomes all interaction and discussion on these topics, and can be reached at her academia.edu profile, here.

ISMAAstrid BenedekAugust 21, 20232022

Mary Beth Thomas

ISMAAstrid BenedekAugust 21, 20232022

Alsya Feydra

Alsya Feydra is an MA candidate in Islamic Studies at Columbia University from Bogor, Indonesia. She received her Bachelor of Humanities in Arabic Studies from Universitas Indonesia last Fall; her thesis focuses on how various aspects of Islamic traditions interact and overlap in present-day popular culture. The representation and identity of Muslims in digital media, particularly those of Southeast Asian Muslims, is one of her main research interests. She’s also passionate about the multiculturalism of Islam in Indonesia, believing that Southeast Asian Muslims are not only exciting research objects but also deserve to be the ones conducting said research themselves. One of the main goals that she hopes to accomplish by pursuing graduate study at Columbia is to help fill in the existing gap in international academia of SEA Muslim women scholars. In her spare time, she likes to watch dramas with her family and do karaoke.

ISMAAstrid BenedekAugust 21, 20232023

Rizka Azelia

Rizka Azelia

Rizka Azelia graduated from the Islamic State University of Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, Indonesia with a bachelor in Islamic Family Law. Her undergraduate thesis was about the customary Inheritance system in Lohayong, East Flores, Indonesia. In the future, she plans to conduct more research on marriage and Family in Indonesia.

ISMAAstrid BenedekAugust 21, 20232023

Chikako Hori

Chikako Hori

Chikako Hori is an MA candidate in Islamic Studies at Columbia University. She is a diplomat trainee from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan. Before coming to New York, she studied Arabic for 2 years in Cairo. She holds an MSc in Culture and Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she researched Muslims in Europe. She has also completed a BA in Law from Kyoto University.

ISMAAstrid BenedekAugust 17, 20232023

Ella Gal

Ella Gal

Ella is an incoming MA candidate in Islamic Studies at Columbia University. She graduated the Hebrew University in Jerusalem with a dual degree in Middle East Studies and Political Science. Ella took extensive courses in Arabic language as part of her degree. Throughout her BA she researched the impact the separation wall has on the lives of Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

Over the past year and a half, Ella has been working at the U.N as the spokesperson of the Israeli Ambassador. Her areas of interest are conflicts in modern Middle East, with a focus on the impact Islam has on decision making of Arab and Muslim states in foreign policy, specifically when it comes to the state of Israel. Ella is 26, married to Zev, with whom she currently lives in NYC.

ISMAAstrid BenedekAugust 10, 20232023

Maria Khan

Maria Khan

Maria is from Delhi, India. She completed her BSc in Physics from Delhi University and her post-graduate studies in Islam from Jamia Hamdard, Delhi. Her thesis explains that Islamic daʿwah differs from proselytization, and can be understood as a dialogue on spirituality and the purpose of life. She studied Arabic at Qasid Institute in Jordan. Maria’s videos on social media have garnered millions of views. She was featured in a Discovery Channel documentary on Islam and interreligious relations.

At Columbia University, Maria is pursuing further graduate studies to understand the relevance of the Islamic faith and intellectual heritage to the present age. Her research interests include peace in Islam, intellectual challenges posed to Islam by modernity, political interpretation of Islam, and Islamic philosophy and modern science. She aims to explore eastern and Judaeo-Christian religious traditions, seeking opportunities for interfaith dialogue. Currently, Maria is translating Maulana Wahiduddin Khan’s Muṭālaʿah-i Ḥadīth (Prophetic Wisdom) from Urdu into English.

ISMAAstrid BenedekAugust 8, 20232023

Jaehoon Jung

Jaehoon Jung

Jaehoon Jung is an incoming candidate for the MA in Islamic studies from the Republic of South Korea. Jaehoon is completing a BA from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) located in Seoul, in the department of Persian and Iranian studies, with a minor in Arabic. As a student who has been interested in Islamic Jurisprudence and its formation, Jaehoon’s primary interest is development of Islamic Jurisprudence, legal principles (Usul al-Fiqh), and contemporary Maqasid discourses, as well as the formative history of Shi'ite Islam.

ISMAAstrid BenedekAugust 4, 20232023

Elizabeth Hazelton

Elizabeth Hazelton

Elizabeth Hazelton graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas with majors in International Studies, Arabic and Middle East Studies. During her undergraduate studies she interned with the U.S. Department of State with the Yemen Affairs Unit and Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Her research interests include women, gender and sexuality in Saudi Arabia.

ISMAIsabel de KatonaAugust 13, 20222022

Mohammed Bilal Khan

Mohammed Bilal Khan

Bilal currently serves as an interventionist and research assistant at TC’s Center for Cerebral Palsy Research. He received a Bachelor of Science from NYIT, and most recently completed his Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. He is now pursuing further graduate studies at Columbia University, with the intention to obtain a PhD and cater towards adolescent Muslim populations as an aspiring clinician. His current interests focus on acquiring a cultural background of Islam, offering culturally-competent modes of care, and analyzing the ancient conflict between religious practices and cultural innovations. In his space time, he likes to hop around bookstores, dabble in fashion, gauge the best oat milk-to-cold brew ratio, and observe a daily ritual of walking at least five miles a day.’

ISMAIsabel de KatonaAugust 11, 20222022

Ibrahim Buyukcelebi

Ibrahim Buyukcelebi

Ibrahim Buyukcelebi

ISMAIsabel de KatonaJuly 10, 20222021

Asad Dandia

Asad Dandia

Asad Dandia is a Brooklyn-born writer, organizer, and graduate student who just wrapped up his time at MEI's ISMA program. His interests include modern Islamic thought, Sufism, and Islamic intellectual history, and his work seeks to bring them into conversation with critical theory, radical/labor politics, and post/decolonial thought. He has served as a Teaching Assistant (TA) for courses in Islamic law and spirituality at NYU, is co-host of the New Books in Middle East Studies podcast at the New Books Network, and was a 2020 Fellow at the LA Review of Books Publishing Workshop. He holds a BSW from New York University and draws from his experience both as an academic and a community organizer to connect theory with praxis on a range of subjects. His MA Thesis at Columbia is entitled, “Rethinking Islamic Studies: Muhammad Iqbal’s Philosophy as Decolonial Critique.”

ISMAIsabel de KatonaOctober 28, 20212019

Sarah Cohen

Sarah Cohen

Sarah Cohen is a student in the Islamic Studies MA program at Columbia University. A poet whose work explores politics and nature, she holds a BA in Religion and Middle Eastern Studies from Bard College and took additional coursework at the Saifi Institute for Arabic Language in Beirut. Her primary research interests are in feminist studies, Sufi thought and practice, and sensory experience.

ISMAGuest UserOctober 1, 20212020

Arwah Palanpurwala

Arwah Palanpurwala

Arwah Palanpurwala completed her undergraduate studies at Al Jamea tus Saifiyah. Her academic background and various international volunteer experiences have made her passionate about 'everyday Islam' and it's role, especially in gender and education. She is continuously trying to understand the intersection of religion, culture, and science, and is deeply intrigued by how it shapes the human experience.

ISMAGuest UserOctober 1, 20212021

Forrest Huntington

Forrest Huntington

Forrest was born and raised in Aurora, Colorado and is now a MA candidate in Islamic Studies at Columbia. He graduated from Regis University in Denver, Colorado with a BA double majoring in History and Religious Studies. He has a lasting interest in activism for religious tolerance, spending all four years in his undergraduate program working as an organizer for interfaith programming on campus. Forrest’s primary research interests are in studying the dynamic relationship of politics and theology over time in communities existing under colonialism and neo-colonialism, specifically with regard to conceptions of mysticism and family law. Forrest hopes to pursue a PhD after this program, with a desire to pursue deeper understanding of intellectual currents in international Islamic communities.

ISMAGuest UserOctober 1, 20212020

Davide Zurlo

Davide Zurlo

Davide Zurlo studied Arabic and Hebrew at Ca' Foscari University in Venice and holds an MA in International Relations from the University of Kent. He specializes in geopolitics of the Middle East and North Africa region. He travelled extensively between Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Iran and Qatar, and he speaks Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, English, French, and Italian.

ISMAGuest UserOctober 1, 20212021

Amrita Kaur

Amrita Kaur

Amrita Kaur is an Associate at Goldman Sachs, within the Asset Management Division specializing in Multi-strategy Client Relationship Management. She has completed her Series SIE and Series 7 certifications and is working towards the CFA. She is also a member of the Junior Council Board of the American Ballet Theater and an avid runner where she has raised funds in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She is pursuing a Masters in Islamic Studies to unearth a deeper understanding of the religion against the generational stereotypes her Sikh, Indian upbringing have fostered.

ISMAGuest UserOctober 1, 20212021

Yusuf Abukar

Yusuf Abukar

Yusuf is a second year ISMA student interested in education and modern state formation in East Africa and Islamic intellectual history.

ISMAGuest UserDecember 16, 20202018

Saarah Ahmed

Saarah Ahmed

Saarah is a candidate for the Islamic Studies MA at Columbia University. Saarah completed her BA in Arabic and Islamic Studies at SOAS (University of London) where she focused on the legal and ethical understandings of adoption in the Muslim world today. She also completed her MA in Human Rights Law at SOAS, where her studies focused on critical legal theory and the limitations of the human rights regime. In between her degrees Saarah worked at Think Equal, an International NGO focused on early education to combat discriminatory practices. She was also involved in various voluntary work that included organizing campaigns to feed the homeless, and working with refugees and asylum seekers. Her (academic) interests include decolonization of systems and knowledge production, the intersection of Islamic ethics and law, and universal social justice. Upon completing her MA, Saarah hopes to continue with her academic pursuits alongside working with marginalized communities by addressing the unethical and discriminatory systems and policies in place today.

ISMAGuest UserDecember 16, 20202020

Alifiya Diwan

Alifiya is a candidate for the Islamic Studies MA in the Middle East Institute at Columbia University. She was born in Houston, Texas, where she completed her primary and secondary studies. She completed her graduation and post-graduation from Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah in Surat, India, majoring in Islamic Studies and Arabic Literature, with a focus on Faṭimī adab and its continuing legacy. Her interests include reading and composing Classical Arabic poetry. From the ISMA program she hopes to gain global perspective on the subjects of Islamic history, law, art, and especially literature. She wishes to further explore Islamic literary sources, which are like a window into the past and often provide moral as well as academic frameworks which help in contemplating the present and future.

ISMAGuest UserDecember 16, 20202019