Sayed Hassan Akhlaq

Akhlaq was born in 1976, in Sayghan City, in the province of Bamyan, Afghanistan.^[1] He immigrated to Iran when he was four years old.^[2] Finishing primary and secondary schools in Mashhad, he started to study classical religious seminaries (in Qum and Mashhad).^[3]

Afterward he studied Islamic traditional courses and was educated in the field of Islamic Theology and Philosophy in Razavi University of Islamic Sciences.^[4] In 2022, Dr. Akhlaq gave a talk at Fairfield University^[5] where he shared his personal narrative. His presentation covered his time as a refugee, his approaches to nurturing critical thinking and propelling academic freedom in Afghanistan, and his subsequent exile due to his philosophical and political beliefs and teachings.^[6]

He obtained his Master of Art degree in the field of Western philosophy from the Imam Khomeini International University and a doctorate (PhD) in Western philosophy from Allameh Tabatabai University.^[7]

He has taught at some universities in Iran and Afghanistan, such as Payame Noor University (2008–2010), Al-Mustafa International University (2006–2010), Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan (2010) and Gharjistan Institute of Higher Education (2010).^[8] He acted as the adviser of Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan and Chancellor of Gharjistan University (Farah Branch).^[9] He works as the adviser for the Center for the Study of Islam and the Middle East in Washington D.C.^[10] Akhlaq, is affiliated with the George Washington University, the Catholic University of America, Princeton University University Center for Human Values,^[11] and Boston University's Department World Languages & Literatures.^[12] He has given lectures at University of Idaho.^[13] and Purdue University Purdue College of Liberal Arts and University of Louisville College of Arts & Sciences.^[14] The Global Studies Directory: People, Organizations, Publications, published by Brill in 2018, included Akhlaq as a prominent figure among scholars significantly contributing to the domain of global studies^[15] Akhlaq gave talks on Islamic Science and its Relationship to Faith^[16] Islamization and ISIS ^[17] at the Catholic University's McLean Center for the Study of Culture and Values.

He has managed the first Afghan intellectuals' magazine, Rayehey-e-azadi:the smell of freedom by international co-editorial staff for more than two years (2002–2003).^[18]

He has published five books showing the author's intellectual trend.

His dozens of articles have been published in scholarly and scientific journals (such as: Ayeneh Marefat:^[19] Beheshti University, Islam Pizuhi:^[20] IHCS, Zehn: Islamic Research Institute for culture and thought, Human Rights: Mofid University, Nebras: Nebras Research Institute in Kabul^[21]).

Akhlaq is the first Afghan philosopher that presented papers in The XXII World Congress of Philosophy (2008 Seoul) and Catholic University of America (Washington DC: 2009).^[22][23] He has also published many papers on several profound websites like OpenDemocracy^[24] and HuffingtonPost.^[25]

Akhlaq is a professional member of American Academy of Religion, American Association of University Professors and American Philosophical Association and American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies^[26] in Villanova University. Akhlaq "has made," Global Studies Directory: People, Organizations, Publications writes "significant contributions to dialogue among civilizations with regard to comparative philosophy, modernization, and global studies."^[27]