Omar is originally from Giza, Egypt. He is an MA candidate in Islamic Studies at Columbia University, having joined as a recipient of the Fulbright scholarship. Omar completed his undergraduate degree in Islamic Studies at Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Following his graduation, he worked as a researcher at Egypt’s Dar Al-Ifta. His academic interests include Islamic legal history, the anthropology of Islamic law, uṣūl al-fiqh, legal reform in Egypt, state and religious institutions, and Islamic political theory.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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