Asmaa El Maaroufi

Asmaa El Maaroufi serves as Professor at the Centre for Islamic Theology, University of Münster, specializing in Islamic Ethics within the Department of Kalam, Philosophy, and Mysticism. Appointed in 2022, she previously held a Research Associate position at the same institution from 2014-2022, demonstrating continuous academic engagement at this leading European center for Islamic theological studies.

Her doctoral research at the University of Münster (2014-2020) culminated in the dissertation "Ethics of Coexistence: Principles of Islamic Animal Ethics Ethics of Being Together," establishing her foundational work in Quranic-based ethical frameworks. This academic trajectory reflects deep integration within Germany's premier Islamic theology program.

El Maaroufi's research program critically examines Creation theology through Islamic Anthropology lenses, with pioneering work in animal and environmental ethics. Her scholarship dismantles anthropocentric paradigms by analyzing Quranic narratives about human-animal relationships, while her intersectionality research confronts dualistic thought patterns linking sexism, racism, and speciesism in theological discourse. This multifaceted approach positions her at the vanguard of contemporary Islamic ethical reasoning.

Her publication record reveals consistent thematic development across environmental and animal ethics, demonstrating how Quranic exegesis informs modern ecological crises and interspecies justice. The progression from foundational dissertation work to edited volumes on systemic oppressions shows increasing scholarly influence in applying Islamic theological resources to urgent global ethical challenges.

Her leadership as Project Coordinator for the Mercator Foundation's Graduate School Islamic Theology (2015-2016) highlights active grant management and institutional development capabilities. Within the Center for Islamic Theology's collaborative ecosystem, she contributes to shaping Germany's evolving landscape of academic Islamic studies through both research and administrative engagement.