Muslim Scholar
Zeyneb Sayilgan, Ph.D., is the Muslim Scholar at ICJS, where her research centers mainly around Islamic theology and spirituality as articulated in the writings of Muslim scholar Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (1876-1960). Her other areas of interest are Christian-Muslim relations and the intersection of religion and migration. Zeyneb’s personal experience of growing up in Germany as the daughter of Muslim immigrants from Türkiye informs her academic work and engagement in Christian-Muslim dialogue. Zeyneb is an affiliated faculty at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria. She also taught at The Catholic University of America and The Washington Theological Consortium. From 2010-2014, Zeyneb was appointed as a residential chaplain at Georgetown University where she advised students from all and no faith backgrounds. She has a Ph.D. in Theological and Religious Studies from Georgetown University, a Master’s degree from Hartford Seminary in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations, and a B.A/M.A. in Islamic Studies and Public Law from the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany. She co-edited The Companion to Said Nursi Studies (2018) and Faithful Neighbors: Christian-Muslim Vision & Practice (2016). In 2019, Sayilgan was awarded the First Book Grant for Scholars of Color by the Louisville Institute. She is the host of the podcast On Being Muslim.
Book, Islam and Immigration: Theological Insights from the Qur’an (Under contract with Baylor University Press)
“I grew up Muslim in a Catholic community—and Mary represented common ground,” in The Guardian, December 24, 2024.
What Catholics can learn from Muhammad about grief,
US Catholic, October 23, 2024.
“What the dead teach us about life: A view from Islam’s last rites,” in the New Orleans Times, September 8, 2024.
“The Hijra: Lessons From the First Muslim Migration for Today,” in MuslimMatters, August 23, 2024.
“3 Quranic concepts to guide interfaith dialogue,” in U.S.Catholic, August 8, 2024.
“The Hajj: A Muslim Vision for the Interreligious Life,” in Covenant The Living Church, June 14, 2024.
“Hajj – a vision of interfaith solidarity” in Qantara, June 12, 2024.
What the dead teach us about life: A view from Islam’s last rites, Religion News Service, May 15, 2024.
“5 Things Lent and Ramadan Have in Common,” in U.S. Catholic magazine, March 2024.
Ramadan: Drei Gründe, warum wir den Fastenmonat schätzen können, (Ramadan: Three reasons why we can appreciate the month of fasting), MIGAZIN, March 7, 2024.
“The Muslim Mary: A Symbol of Devotion, Virtue, and Hope,” in Covenant, March 12, 2024.
“Islamic Creation Theology and the Human Being as Migrant,” in The Meaning of My Neighbor’s Faith: Interreligious Reflections on Immigration, Alexander Y. Hwang and Laura Alexander, eds. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic, 2019.
The Companion to Said Nursi Studies, co-edited with Ian S.Markham, Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2017.
Faithful Neighbors: Christian-Muslim Vision & Practice, co-edited with Robert S. Heaney and Claire Haymes, New York, NY: Morehouse Publishing, 2016.
“Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s Ethics of Non-Violence: Implications for Christian – Muslim Relations Today,” Dialog: A Journal of Theology 50:3, (Fall 2011): 242- 252.
Meine kosmische Identität: Eine migrantische Lesart des Koran, MIGAZIN, 2013.
“Die Hadsch: Sinnbild einer spirituellen Migration,” MIGAZIN, 2013.
Oxford Interfaith Forum, December 2, 2024, Maryam – The Muslim Mary: A Symbol of Devotion, Virtue and Hope
Muslim Family Center, Ellicott City, MD, March 2023-June 2023, Bi-weekly public series “Our Common Destiny: Reflections on Death, Loss and Mortality”
“The Hajj: A Moral Vision for Ecumenical and Interfaith Engagement,” May 1, 2024, Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute and The Interfaith Center of New York, “We Dwell in Common: Ecumenical Resources for Interfaith Engagement”
Union Matters! Podcast, Understanding Muslims: Dr. Zeyneb Sayilgan
“Mary in Islam and the Qur’an,” First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, December 13, 2020
Beyond Fear: Addressing Islamophobia, Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, VA, April 28, 2017
“Introduction to Islam,” Alfred Street Baptist Church, Alexandria, VA, January 25, 2014
Mary, the mother of Jesus—Maryam in Arabic—is venerated by Christians and Muslims around the world. This course examined the Islamic portrayal of Mary as described in the Qur’an and the holy narrations of Prophet Muhammad, both normative sources for Muslims, identifying similarities and differences that emerge in the Muslim depictions of Mary. By presenting examples of Islamic art and architecture, ICJS Muslim Scholar Zeyneb Sayilgan highlighted Mary’s ongoing importance in Muslim life. Finally, Sayilgan reflected on the possibilities of how Mary can serve as an important interreligious figure who can both divide and unite.
Death is universal. Yet, the beliefs, responses, and rituals around this shared human experience, influenced by religion and culture, vary widely. In this minicourse, we will examine Muslim views and responses related to death. How can Muslim perspectives contribute to our understanding and facilitate a better engagement in facing human mortality?