Stephan Kokew

Dr. Stephan Kokew is a Research Associate at the Paderborn Institute of Islamic Theology, part of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Paderborn University. He joined PIIT in October 2024 after serving as a Postdoc/Lecturer at the Centre for Islamic Theology, University of Münster from 2019 to 2024. His academic journey includes research positions at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg and completing his PhD at Leipzig University in 2014.

Dr. Kokew's educational background includes:

• Magister Artium (M.A.) in Islamic Studies, Arabic Studies and Religious Studies from Leipzig University (2007)
• PhD in Islamic Studies from Leipzig University (2014) focusing on contemporary discourses of tolerance in the Islamic world
• Studies in Islamic Studies, Arabic Studies and Religious Studies at the Universities of Freiburg and Leipzig (2001-2007)

His research primarily focuses on conceptions of tolerance and pluralism in Islamic contexts, relations between Islam and non-Muslims in Islamic history, theology and law, and modern discourses on Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali's 'Ihya ulum ad-din' (20th/21st Century). Dr. Kokew examines the historical development and current re-evaluation of Islamic ethical concepts in the Qur'an that relate to the coexistence of Muslims and non-Muslims. His work bridges traditional Islamic scholarship with contemporary ethical challenges, particularly through his current project on the modern Arabic reception of classic Islamic theological works.

Dr. Kokew has received recognition for his academic work, including a nomination for the German Thesis Award 2015 of the Körber Foundation (final round). His scholarly contributions span publications on Islamic tolerance concepts, Muslim-non-Muslim relations, and modern interpretations of classical Islamic texts, with recent works appearing in 2022-2025.

He is actively involved in the academic community through memberships in several scholarly organizations:

• Zentrum für Komparative Theologie und Kulturwissenschaften (ZeKK) since 2025
• Centre for Euro-Oriental Studies (CEOS) at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg since 2016
• German Middle East Studies Association (DAVO) since 2006
• Association for Arabic and Islamic Law (GAIR) since 2006 (serving on the Executive Board 2016-2023)

Dr. Kokew regularly presents at major academic conferences and has organized significant scholarly events, including the ITS-Colloquium 'Ressourcen für Resilienz in islamischer Tradition' at the University of Münster (2025) and the Al-Ghazali Workshop-Seminar at the Centre for Islamic Theology (2023), demonstrating his active engagement in shaping contemporary discourse in Islamic studies.