Board of Governors
Chairperson
Mohamed Moledina
Under & Postgrad degrees in Finance, Management and Marketing
Mohamed Moledina has a distinguished career in Travel and Export and was MD of Jubilee Travel & Export for 38 years. He served as UK National Council member for two terms from 1987 -1993 and Economic Planning Board from 1999-2002. He has long association with and service to Lions Club, Bosnia Re-Settlement Programme and Light-Hearted Fundraising for Kids. Mohamed Moledina is a founding member of ASG and has been providing guidance and wisdom to ASG growth and progress since 2007.
Member
Professor Zayn Kassam
Associate Dean of the College/Diversity Officer John Knox Mclean Professor Of Religious Studies
Professor Zayn Kassam is the Director of the IIS and Head of the Department of Academic Research and Publications. She completed her MA in Islamic Studies at the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University and her PhD in History of Religions at the Faculty of Religious Studies at McGill University, where she specialized in medieval Islamic and Indian philosophy.
Before coming to the IIS, Professor Kassam taught at Pomona College, a highly selective liberal arts college in the USA, where she developed her expertise in and taught courses on gender, environment, and community engagement in addition to her specializations in Islam, methods in the study of religions, and Sufism, as well as Islamic philosophy. She has received several awards for distinguished teaching. In addition, Professor Kassam has served on the board of the American Academy of Religion, as Co-editor of the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, and is on the editorial board for the Journal of the American Academy of Religion. Professor Kassam is the author of Islam (2005), and editor of Women and Islam in addition to Women in Asian Religions. She is also the editor of the Islam section of the volume titled Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism in the Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. She has published several essays on gender, philosophy, environment, and migration, among other topics.
Chairperson (ASG) Executive Board
Shiraz Pradhan
B. Sc.,MSME, C. Eng.Fellow, I.Mech.E
Shiraz Pradhan is a professional consulting engineer. He has degrees in mechanical engineering from Lehigh University, Pennsylvania and Nairobi University, Kenya. Shiraz has been involved in Ginanic research for the past 30 years and has written extensively for Ilm, UK and Simerg.com. Currently he is volunteering with Ismaili Special Collections Unit of the Institute of Ismaili Studies reviewing Khojki Ginan manuscripts. He is also working on several Ginanic themes including metaphysics of cosmology, salvific and eschatology, and Satpanth through the lens of Ginans.
Member
Hussain Jasani
Head of South Asian Studies at the Institute of Ismaili Studies
Hussain Jasani is the Head of the South Asian Studies (SAS) Unit at The Institute ofIsmaili Studies (IIS), London. As the founding member of the SAS Unit at the IIS, Hussain has the responsibility of defining the strategic vision for the Unit, setting its research agenda and overseeing research projects. Hussain also serves as a member of the Advisory Board for The Encyclopaedia of the Ismailis. He obtained his first degree in Electronics and has an MA from SOAS, the University of London, where he is currently pursuing his PhD. He was born in India and now lives in London with his wife and family.
Member
Professor Tazim Kassam
Professor at Syracuse University
Professor Tazim R. Kassam teaches Islam at Syracuse University. She specialized on Shi’ia Ismaili Muslims for her doctorate at McGill University. Her book, Songs of Wisdom and Circles of Dance: Hymns of the Muslim Saint Pir Shams, published in 1995. explores the origins, identity, and creative synthesis of Ismaili Muslims in South Asia expressed through their vast literary and musical tradition of Ginans. Professor Kassam has chaired the Department of Religion at Syracuse University, and won several awards such as the National Endowment of Humanities Fellowship. She is an avid fan of Hindustani classical vocal music.
Member
Dr. Fayyaz Vellani
Lecturer, Critical Writing and Faculty Director, University of Pennsylvania
Fayyaz A. Vellani is a Lecturer in Critical Writing and Faculty Director of the College House Research Program at the University of Pennsylvania. He served as Head of the Department of Graduate Studies for the Institute of Ismaili Studies from 2010 to 2013, and has a deep interest in ginans, speaking and reading Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, and Arabic. His novel Tea With Ms. Tanzania is being published by Red Sea Press in 2022.
Treasurer and Events Coordinator
Islamshah Rahemtulla
FCMA, CGMA (ASC, London, UK)
Islamshah is a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and Chartered Global Management Accountants and has his own accountancy practice. Previously he was European Financial Controller for Domino’s Pizza; Head of Finance & Admin at the IIS; and for 6 years on the Executive Board of the Hillingdon Race Equality Council. He is a founder member of the ASG and has been instrumental in organising several Ginan conferences and seminars. He has served the United Kingdom and European jamats in various capacities. He has a keen interest in Ginans.