Grand Mufti Bio: Dr. Shawky Allam
In 2013, Dr. Allam became the first elected Grand Mufti of Egypt by the majority of votes of Al-Azhar’s Council of Senior Scholars. In addition to his role as the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr. Allam holds the office of the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide—an umbrella organization that was created in 2015 to coordinate among more than 100 fatwa authorities globally.
Dr. Allam’s passion for Islamic studies started when he was an undergraduate student, in 1984, when he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Shari’ah and Law. Dr. Allam then obtained his M.A in Jurisprudence in 1990 and his Ph.D. in Fiqh in 1996, all from the Faculty of Shari’ah and Law, Al-Azhar University, Cairo.
After finishing his Ph.D., Dr. Allam started his career internationally in Oman, where he held the position of Head of the Jurisprudence Department at the Institute of Islamic Studies. After returning to Egypt, Dr. Allam chose a career that matched his passion and interests. He started as a professor at the Department of Jurisprudence, Al-Azhar University, and then was promoted to head of the department.
Dr. Allam is a prolific researcher and writer. He is well known for his spectacular work on topics related to Islamic jurisprudence. He wrote more than a dozen books on various issues of Islamic law, including women's political engagement, criminal justice, the codification of Islamic law, religious minorities, and Islamic thought.
In 2014, Dr. Allam was named the best promoter of interfaith understanding by the Interfaith Alliance in South Korea. In 2018, he was awarded the highest civil award in Pakistan (the Medal of Excellence) for his work and his role in combating violent extremism worldwide.
As an international figure, Dr. Allam has sought to dedicate his efforts to promoting an authoritative picture of Islam, spreading peaceful coexistence, and building bridges of understanding and cooperation. Dr. Allam has taken a very clear stance against extremist interpretations of Islam. He believes that terrorism cannot be born of religion and that terrorists are criminals, not Muslim activists.