Academic Staff

Born in 1946, Dr Muhammad Manazir Ahsan began his education with traditional Islamic schooling, which he successfully completed in 1964, attaining Mumtaz al-Muhaddithin, the highest academic degree in Islamic theological learning in Bangladesh. Dr Ahsan then moved to the UK and completed his PhD in Middle Eastern History from SOAS, University of London in 1972.

Dr. Zahid Parvez is the Rector of the Markfield Institute of Higher Education and the Head of Quality and Regulatory Compliance. Prior to joining the Institute, Dr Parvez was a Senior Lecturer in Information Management at the University of Wolverhampton Business School for 20 years.  He also served as an external examiner at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Hertfordshire University, and also Staffordshire University (for Oman delivery).

Shaikh obtained his BA (Honours) in Islamic Studies, LLB, Diploma in Advanced Labour Law and Diploma in Advanced Banking Law from the University of Johannesburg (ex Rand Afrikaans University). He also has an MA in Islamic Management, Finance and Banking from Loughborough University. Shaikh completed his  PhD on Pension Funds from the University of Gloucestershire in 2019.  He also holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education from IFS University College. He graduated as an Alim Fadil through the Darse Nizami system from Madrassah Arabia Islamia in South Africa. 

Dr Haroon Bashir is Head of Islamic Studies at the Markfield Institute of Higher Education. He completed his Ph.D in Islamic Studies at the University of Leeds. His research, funded by the White Rose College of Arts & Humanities (WRoCAH), focused on discourses pertaining to slavery, race, and emancipation within the exegetical and legal traditions of Islam. Prior to this, Dr Bashir read an M.St in the Study of Religion (Dist.) at the University of Oxford and received his B.A in Arabic. & Islamic Studies (I) from the University of Leeds.

Dr Rafeek attained his PhD in Fiqh for Muslim minorities (fiqh al-aqaliyyat) from Porstmouth University in 2012 and has since been teaching Arabic and developing Islamic studies courses at the department of education and training at the Islamic Foundation. He joined MIHE as a lecturer in Islamic Studies and Arabic in 2018. Dr Rafeek completed his 'Alimiyah training in Jami'ah Naleemiyah in Sri Lanka before coming to the UK, where he completed his BA, MA and PhD studies. In addition, he completed a Certificate in Muslim Chaplaincy.

Ustadha Ameena Blake joined the MIHE team as a lecturer of BA Islamic Studies in September 2018. She completed her BA (hons) in English Studies from Sheffield Hallam University and undertook a Post Graduate in teaching followed by her MSc in Leadership and Management of Education. As well as working in educational leadership and consultancy, and teaching in mainstream education, she has studied and lectured in a range of Islamic institutions and completed her MA in Islamic Studies at MIHE.

Rahmanara Chowdhury is a Lecturer in Islam and Pastoral Care at the Markfield Institute of Higher Education. She completed her undergraduate studies in Ergonomics at Loughborough University. She has a Masters in Psychology from Nottingham Trent University and is currently completing her PhD at Brunel University London. She has been awarded ESRC funding to explore the issue of domestic violence and abuse within the UK Muslim population. She is the author of 'Qawwamoon; Protectors and Maintainers', Ta Ha Publishers.

Dr Imran H K Suddahazai is head of the Education program at MIHE and a Visiting Associate Researcher at Lancaster University. After an academic hiatus that entailed senior leadership, management and coaching roles in diverse industries across the world, he completed his doctoral program in educational leadership under the supervision of Dr Sahin from the University of Gloucestershire and MIHE. 

Fatima joined MIHE in 2019 as a Student Support Officer. She completed her BA in Islamic Studies (I), MA in Islam, Pastoral Care and Counseling (Dist.) at MIHE and is now a Doctoral Researcher at KU Leuven in Belgium. She has become a familiar ally on the campus of the student body, often helping with academic support and the student council. Due to her keen interest in lived experiences; how people of different tendencies perceive the world and what can be done to improve the way one experiences life, she has a particular research interest in pastoral care and disability studies.