Profile
Hussein has a BA in Middle Eastern Studies from Columbia University, a Masters in Theological Studies focusing on Islam, and an MA and PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. He is a contingent faculty member and has taught at Barnard College, Fordham University, Iona College, Virginia Theological Seminary, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, SUNY Old Westbury, and Hofstra University.
He is the also the founder of islamicate, a consultancy focusing on religious literacy and cultural competency. He works with a variety of NGOs, foundations, non-profits, and governmental agency for content expertise on religion broadly, with a specialization on Islam. His work includes exploring theology, the interaction between culture and religion, and the role of the arts in conflict mediation.
His research interests focus on representations of Muslims in American popular culture. He has published academic articles on music, comics, film and television, intra-Muslim racism, and digital humanities in the Study of Religion.
He is the lead content advisor for the Children’s Museum of Manhattan’s exhibit, America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far.
Degrees Held
BA - Columbia College of Columbia University
MTS - Harvard Divinity School
MA - Harvard University
PhD - Harvard University
Professional Affiliation
American Academy of Religion
Middle East Studies Association
Association for Asian Studies
Association for Asian-American Studies
Recent Publications
2018. “Images of Imam Ali,” in From Text to Life: Religious Resources for Interreligious Engagement, edited by Or Rose, Jennie Peace, Homayra Ziad, Soren Hessler. New York: Orbis Press.
2018. with Burt Visotzky and Chloe Breyer. “Love, Actually: Reflections from Three Traditions,” in The Crisis of Connection, edited by Niobe Way, Alisha Ali, Carole Gilligan, and Pedro Noguera. New York: NYU Press.
2017. “Hajj: The Pilgrimage,” in Islamic Religious Practice in the United States, edited by Edward E. Curtis IV. New York: New York University Press.
2017. “Qawwālī in America: Making Space.” Muslim World 107, no. 2: 271–86.
2017. “Truth, Justice, and the Spiritual Way: Imam Ali as Superhero,” in Muslim Superheroes: Comics, Islam, and Representation, edited by A. David Lewis and Martin Lund. Boston: Ilex Foundation & Harvard University Press.
2015. with Precious Rasheeda Muhammad. “American Muslim (Un)Exceptionalism: #BlackLivesMatter and #BringBackOurGirls.” Journal of Africana Religions 3, no. 4: 478–95.
2015. “Free Speech is Free for Whom?” Science, Religion and Culture 2, no. 1: 5–8.
2015. “Shaheed-E Harlem: The Meaning of Malcolm X in the Work of Fundamental.” Journal of Africana Religions 3, no. 1: 116–29.
2015. “Cultural Contributions of American Muslims,” in Religion and American Cultures: Tradition, Diversity, and Popular Expression, edited by Gary Laderman. New York; ABC-CLIO.
2013. “We Are All Vincent Navroze Balbir: The Indistinguishable Horde, Meaninglessness of (Others’) Life, and Crafting America.” Sikh Formations 9, no. 2: 243-248.
2013. “Muslims in Film and Filmmaking,” in The Oxford Handbook of American Islam, edited by Jane Smith and Yvonne Haddad. New York; Oxford University Press, 259-273.
Research Interests
Muslims and American Popular Culture