Zekirija Sejdini, Professorship for Islam in Contemporary Society

Contact Zekirija Sejdini

"My research contributes to a deeper understanding of Islam in today's social context and helps to build bridges between theology, science and practice. It also supports the training of imams and chaplains, promotes interreligious dialogue and contributes to the development of an empirically based Islamic theology. Furthermore, it supports political and social actors in making informed decisions and strengthens social coexistence by reflecting on Islamic norms in a pluralistic environment." (Zekirija Sejdini)

Research areas:

* Islamic theology in contemporary European society
* Religious-theological pluralism
* Interreligious dialogue from a Muslim perspective
* Empirical Islamic theology
* Islamic education in contemporary society

Curriculum Vitae:

Born in 1972 in Vrapčište, North Macedonia
1991-1993 Studied Islamic theology with a specialisation in Islamic philosophy at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt
1994-1998 Studied Islamic theology, specialising in Islamic philosophy and religious education at Marmara University in Istanbul, Turkey
1998-2000 Studied Philosophy, specialising in Hermeneutics, at Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
2002-2004 Lecturer at the Protestant University of Applied Sciences Ludwigsburg, Germany
2012 Doctorate in Islamic Studies specialising in Islamic Mysticism at the University of Heidelberg, Germany
2004-2006 Head of department for the teaching profession at the Islamic Religious Education Academy in Vienna
2006-2014 Specialised inspector for Islamic religious education in Vienna
2014-2025 Professor of Islamic Religious Education at the University of Innsbruck
2017 Founder and Director of the Institute for Islamic Theology and Religious Education at the University of Innsbruck
2019-2025 Co-founder and co-director of the Centre for Interreligious Research at the University of Innsbruck
2019-2021Professorship for Islam in Contemporary Society at the Institute for Islamic-Theological Studies at the University of Vienna
2021 Editor of the international journal 'Forum islamisch theologische Studien'
2022 Visiting Professor at Yale University, New Haven, USA
2023 Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies
since March 2025 Professor of Islam in Contemporary Society at the University of Vienna

Prizes and awards
Kurt Schubert Memorial Prize for Interreligious Understanding (2018)
Cultural Decoration of Honour of the City of Innsbruck for special services in the field of art and culture (2022)
The Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver for Services to the Republic of Austria (2024)