"Islamic institutions are at their weakest point ever. The Islamic civilization has not just deteriorated but crumbled. Seeing the Islamic tradition hijacked and co-opted and leveraged in so many thoroughly ugly ways is a betrayal of divinity."
Khaled Abou El Fadl is one of the world’s leading authorities on Islamic law and theology. A distinguished legal scholar and public intellectual, he serves as the Omar and Azmeralda Alfi Distinguished Professor of Law at UCLA and is the founding director of the UCLA Islamic Studies Program. His work spans Islamic jurisprudence, human rights, political theory, and ethics, and he is widely respected for his nuanced, deeply moral approach to Islamic tradition and reform.
A prolific author, his scholarship challenges authoritarian interpretations of Islam and insists on a return to beauty, reason, and mercy as central to the Islamic moral tradition. His legal expertise has been sought by the U.S. Department of Justice and other institutions, and his writings have shaped debates on Islamic law both within Muslim communities and in global academic and policy circles.
In recognition of his commitment to justice, religious ethics, and interfaith understanding, Abou El Fadl was awarded the University of Oslo Human Rights Award in 2007, joining the ranks of other global figures who have made substantial contributions to the field of human rights.
Fluent in classical Arabic and trained as both a Western legal scholar and a traditional Islamic jurist, he continues to speak and write with clarity and courage—calling for an Islam that resists tyranny and honors the divine dignity of every human soul.
Khaled Abou El Fadl is one of the world’s leading authorities on Islamic law and theology. A distinguished legal scholar and public intellectual, he serves as the Omar and Azmeralda Alfi Distinguished Professor of Law at UCLA and is the founding director of the UCLA Islamic Studies Program. His work spans Islamic jurisprudence, human rights, political theory, and ethics, and he is widely respected for his nuanced, deeply moral approach to Islamic tradition and reform.
A prolific author, his scholarship challenges authoritarian interpretations of Islam and insists on a return to beauty, reason, and mercy as central to the Islamic moral tradition. His legal expertise has been sought by the U.S. Department of Justice and other institutions, and his writings have shaped debates on Islamic law both within Muslim communities and in global academic and policy circles.
In recognition of his commitment to justice, religious ethics, and interfaith understanding, Abou El Fadl was awarded the University of Oslo Human Rights Award in 2007, joining the ranks of other global figures who have made substantial contributions to the field of human rights.
Fluent in classical Arabic and trained as both a Western legal scholar and a traditional Islamic jurist, he continues to speak and write with clarity and courage—calling for an Islam that resists tyranny and honors the divine dignity of every human soul.
