Mulki Mohamed Al-Sharmani

Mulki Al-Sharmani is a Professor of Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Helsinki since January 2025. Previously, they served as Associate Professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (2020-2024) and Lecturer of Islamic Theology (2018-2019). They hold a Docent (Islamic Studies) title from the Faculty of Theology, University of Helsinki (2015). Al-Sharmani’s affiliations include leading the Academy of Finland Research Project 'Islamic Feminism: Tradition, Authority, and Hermeneutics' (2013-2018) and collaborating with global movements like Musawah for gender justice in Muslim families.

• PhD in Anthropology, Johns Hopkins University (2005)
• MA in Anthropology & Sociology, American University in Cairo (1998)

Research Interests span Islamic feminist hermeneutics, gender justice in family law, and transnational Somali diaspora studies. Their work bridges Qur’anic ethics with contemporary legal reform, focusing on Finland-Egypt comparative contexts. Key themes include religious literacy, mosque-based family programs, and methodological approaches to lived Islam.

Publications since 2003 emphasize Islamic feminism, family law pluralism, and transnational migration ethics. Recent works analyze Qur’anic marriage ethics (2022), legal reform in Egypt (2024), and gender dynamics in Finnish Somali marriages (2018-2023).

• Scientific Awards: Best International Teacher Award (2019), Stora Priset (2020)
• Grants: Academy of Finland Fellowships (2013-2018)

Al-Sharmani supervises doctoral programs in Political, Societal and Regional Change, and Gender, Culture, and Society. They examine PhD theses internationally and have organized conferences like the 21st Nordic Conference of Systematic Theology (2025) and Building Egalitarian Jurisprudence of Muslim Marriages (2019).