Amir Hussain

Amir Hussain is a scholar of religion who specializes in the study of Islam. Currently, he is chair of the Department of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. In 2020 he was elected as Vice President of the American Academy of Religion. He has done significant publishing work with Oxford University Press, including editing the fifth editions (2018) of two of their main textbooks, "World Religions: Western Traditions" and "World Religions: Eastern Traditions", and the third edition of "A Concise Introduction to World Religions".
Early and personal life.
Born in Lahore, Pakistan, and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Hussain received a Ph.D. and M.A. in the study of religion from the University of Toronto. He speaks fluently in four languages, including: Arabic, English, French, and Urdu.
Hussain is a lifelong fan of the "Los Angeles Lakers" and the "Montreal Canadiens".
Career.
Before moving to LMU, Hussain taught as an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at California State University, Northridge.
A proponent of interfaith dialogue, Professor Hussain has published over 60 scholarly articles or book chapters on Islam and Muslims. He has lectured in academic arenas around the world, and appeared on several television programs, most notably "Politically Incorrect" with Bill Maher and "The Tavis Smiley Show". He is a consultant for "The Story of God with Morgan Freeman".
Professor Hussain is also a senior editor for religion for Oxford Handbooks Online. Prior to his edited textbooks, he wrote "Muslims and the Making of America", published in 2016 by Baylor University Press. From 2011 to 2015 he was the editor of the "Journal of the American Academy of Religion", the flagship journal for the study of religion. He is also on the editorial boards of four other scholarly journals for the study of religion. In 2005, he joined the Department of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University, the Jesuit university in Los Angeles. He has written numerous scholarly articles on Islam and Muslims, and is recognized as an authority on Islam in North America. He is a fellow of the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities.