Draft:Mohammed Gamal Abdelnour

Biography
Mohammed Gamal Abdelnour (born 1990) is an Egyptian scholar of religion and philosophy who is a tenured faculty member at Al-Azhar University, Cairo, specializing in Islamic theology, philosophy, and comparative religion. He also had teaching and research experiences at various British universities, most notably SOAS, Bristol, and York. His work has been recognized for addressing key questions in the Islamic philosophy of reform, interfaith dialogue, and modern ethical considerations. Since 2020, he has been a trustee at Gingko Publishers, London.

Early life and career
Abdelnour was born on January 1, 1990, in Egypt. He became a Hafiz of the Quran at the age of 11. He studied Islamic and Arabic studies at Al-Azhar University in Cairo (Egypt), for up to 16 years, graduating as valedictorian of his class with a bachelor’s in Islamic studies and philosophy in 2011. In 2013, he won the British Chevening Scholarship through which he completed his MA in Catholic Theology, the University of Durham, UK. In 2016, he was the first Azharite scholar to have won the Al-Azhar-U.K. PhD scholarship for religious studies, through which he earned his PhD at SOAS, University of London in Comparative Theology, under the supervision of Dr Muhammad Abdel Haleem and examined at the University of Cambridge by the former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams.

Abdelnour’s PhD thesis, which tackled questions of truth and salvation between Christianity and Islam, got published as a book with Brill publishers in 2021, entitled: A Comparative History of Catholic and Ash‘arī Theologies of Truth and Salvation: Inclusive Minorities, Exclusive Majorities. This book was followed by another book in 2022, published with Oxford University Press, entitled The Higher Objectives of Islamic Theology, which opens a new field of research for scholars and Islam and religion.

Published works
His most notable publications include:

Reception of work
Abdelnour's work has garnered significant recognition in western academia. His books and articles are published by reputable academic publishers and have been cited and reviewed by experts such as Rowan Williams, Khaled Abou El Fadl, Gavin D'Costa, and others. Regarding Abdelnour's The Higher Objectives of Islamic Theology: Towards a Theory of Maqāṣid al-ʿAqīda, Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl stated:

''“Describing this study in lofty terms such as highly original, truly groundbreaking, and pioneering does not do it justice. I found this book to be all this, but also a profoundly perspicacious reflection upon the purpose of the Islamic faith. This book should be read by all students of Islamic studies and comparative religious studies. But it is an especially indispensable source to all readers interested in the future of Islamic ecumenism.”''

Commenting on his A Comparative History of Catholic and Ašʿarī Theologies of Truth and Salvation, Rowan Williams said:

''“This is a most substantial and original contribution to inter-faith conversation - an insightful comparative study of the central issue of how diverse schools of thought within Christianity and Islam understand ‘salvation’, and how they think about the limits of the holy or chosen community. It builds on wide and deep familiarity with primary sources in both traditions, addressing both theological and sociological questions, and offers a particularly vivid and expert account of debates within the Islamic world. It will make a unique contribution to Christian-Muslim understanding and will do much to nurture a more sophisticated grasp of the rich internal variety of both religious discourses.”''

Abdelnour has been noted for his attempts to narrow down the gap between the academy and faith communities. Examples of this is his talk on Christmas and the Quran at Westminster Abbey, where he is featured with Professor Karl Josef Kuschel. The launch of his first book on salvation in Christianity and Islam was held at Wells Cathedral, with Professor David Thomas. In the same context, he launched a series of scriptural reasoning sessions at Bath Islamic Society in 2019.