About the School

Launched with a vision to address the increasing challenges stemming from Western ideological, social, and cultural hegemony, the School of Islamic and Occidental Studies (SIOS) is an Islamic seminary (ḥawzah) based in the Holy City of Qum, Iran.

Founded by Muslim scholars hailing from the West, the School aims to ground seminary students in the traditional Islamic sciences while equipping them with the insight and necessary tools to understand and address contemporary issues with incision and foresight. Its international faculty members have been selected for their intellectual depth and traditional breadth, as well as their experience in responding to and dealing with such challenges and issues. Students who join the School also share these same concerns. The coming together of such teachers and students in this unique school will provide for an exciting, engaging and enriching learning experience, inshā Allāh.

The idea for the School was conceived some eight years ago and since then the plans for the school have gone through five revisions, leading to the final plan that saw fruition and was approved by the Board of Trustees in the blessed month of Ramaḍān in 1440.

The founding team and staff of the School, like the teachers and the students, is composed of Muslims from different lands who speak English and who are inspired by the same vision.

The main building of the School is located in a central part of Qum, close to the Ḥaram, and some major seminaries and research institutes.

The School will confer degrees that are accredited by various affiliated universities and seminaries.

The School is independently operated and funded exclusively by religious levies and tithes (khums).