معرفی
Dr. Fouad Gehad Marei is a Research Fellow at the Leibniz Centre for Modern Oriental Studies (ZMO) in Berlin since November 2024, affiliated with the Religion and Intellectual Culture research unit. His current project, "VR Islam? Systems of Sensory Perception in Virtual Reality and the Prospects of Virtual Devotion in Islam," investigates how virtual reality technologies transform Islamic religious practice by rendering the sacred tangible while addressing concerns about potential distortions of creed. Previously, he held research fellowships at the University of Birmingham and Lund University (2020-2024) for the "AlterUmma" project, the Max Weber Centre at the University of Erfurt (2018-2020), the Orient Institute in Beirut (2016-2017), and served as a Lecturer in Middle East Politics at the Free University of Berlin (2013-2016).
His educational background includes:
- PhD in Politics and International Affairs (Middle East), Durham University, United Kingdom (2008-2012)
- MA in Politics and International Affairs (Middle East), Durham University, United Kingdom (completed by 2007)
Marei's research centers on Islamic studies with emphasis on Shi'i ritual practices, digital media's impact on religious experience, and state-society dynamics in Lebanon and the Middle East. He examines how virtual reality and social media reshape devotional practices among diaspora communities while navigating theological boundaries between the sacred and profane. His work bridges religious anthropology, political science, and digital humanities through interdisciplinary analysis of sensory perception in virtual religious contexts.
His scholarly output reveals consistent focus on lived Shi'i Muslim experiences across Middle Eastern and European contexts. Publications analyze ritual lamentation in Lebanon, diasporic religious adaptations in Europe, and governance in Beirut's southern suburbs, increasingly incorporating digital technology's role in religious evolution. Current research on VR Islam represents a significant expansion into sensory-perceptual systems in virtual devotion, highlighting generational and gender divides in technology acceptance within Islamic communities.
