Lejla Demiri

Lejla Demiri is a Professor and Chair of Islamic Doctrine at the University of Tübingen’s Center for Islamic Theology, with an Honorary Professorship at the University of St Andrews (School of Divinity, 2024–2027). Her roles include Managing Director of the Center, Chair of the Center Council and Doctoral Committee, and Deputy Equal Opportunities Officer at the university. She co-organizes interfaith initiatives and study trips to Rome.

• Education: Doctorate at Faculty of Theology, University of Cambridge (2004–2008); Licentiate and Graduate Diploma in Interreligious Studies (Pontifical Gregorian University, 2002–2004); Bachelor and Master in Theology (Marmara University, 1994–2000).

Her research focuses on Systematic Theology (Kalām), Christian-Muslim theological interaction, and Islamic manuscripts, particularly in Arabic and Ottoman Turkish. She explores topics like death in Islamic spirituality, freedom in Islamic thought, and ecological discourses in 21st-century Islam. Her publications include works on ʿAbd al-Ghanī al-Nābulusī and Najm al-Dīn al-Ṭūfī.

Her 15 most recent scholarly outputs span Islamic theological anthropology, biblical exegesis in Muslim texts, and Ottoman-era religious polemics. Awards include an Honorary Doctorate from Uppsala University (2019). She contributes to educational materials on Islamic perspectives for UK schools and co-edits the Sapientia Islamica book series.