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).

Dr Ataullah Siddiqui is a Professor of Christian-Muslim Relations and Inter-Faith Understanding at the Markfield Institute of Higher Education where he was also the Director of the Institute from 2001 to 2008. He was a founder President and Vice Chair of the ‘Christian Muslim Forum’ in England, and a founder member of the Leicester Council of Faiths.

Emir joined Markfield Institute of Higher Education in February 2016. He studied BA in Islamic Studies from the European Institute of Human Sciences, followed by Masters in Islamic Banking Finance and Management from The University of Gloucestershire. He completed his PhD in Islamic Finance from the University of Bolton. Emir’s research interests centre on the intangible asset of the Islamic financial institutions and exploring the ways in which it can be effectively managed and measured.

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 and 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 (South Africa).

Dr. Fella Lahmar is the Course Leader for the MEd Islamic Education: New Perspectives programme at MIHE. She worked as a Research Associate at the University of Nottingham examining the complexities of international/transnational Higher Education and its links to politics in different contexts. Fella taught in different Muslim schools in England and Saudi Arabia. She has a keen interest in interdisciplinary research combining Western and Islamic theoretical approaches to engage creatively and critically with the emerging issues in areas of research interest and expertise.