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Mission

Mizan is a digital initiative dedicated to encouraging informed public discourse and interdisciplinary scholarship on the culture and history of Muslim societies. We provide a platform for exploring and engaging with important topics pertaining to Muslim societies past and present.

Our Vision

Mizan is dedicated to fostering public scholarship and supporting and promoting research on Muslim societies across the world. We bring a fair, unbiased perspective to bear on current events and contemporary debates concerning all aspects of Islamic history, religion, and culture. We seek to encourage and contribute to informed public discourse by providing academic resources and accessible commentary on subjects of contemporary relevance and abiding significance.

The Mizan initiative is distinguished by the broad-ranging interdisciplinary approaches we foster; the scholarly expertise we bring to commentary on current events and the study of the Islamic world; and the breadth of cultural expressions from Muslim societies we investigate, commemorate, and celebrate. We seek to make research into the background to Islam’s emergence as a global civilization and the history, texts, and classic cultural expressions of Muslim identity relevant for a contemporary audience. Features and articles on Mizan bridge past and present, drawing classical literature, visual culture, law, and devotional forms into conversation with the popular culture of modern Muslim societies.

We seek to approach the history and culture of Muslim societies in an unbiased way, without preference for any sectarian perspective, and to avoid essentialism and the privileging of any particular orthodoxy or orthopraxy. We seek to promote an appreciation for transregional and cosmopolitan perspectives and promote pluralism and open dialogue. By fostering objective, responsible, balanced discussion and scholarly inquiry, we seek to contribute to improving online discourse about Muslim societies and culture.

The results of our inquiry are published under a Creative Commons license, as we believe that making the results of scholarly research and discussion openly available to educators, researchers, the media, and the general public is the best way for us to maximize our impact on scholarship and public discourse.