The Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS), University of Toronto

University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

The Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) at the University of Toronto develops research projects that improve society’s understanding of Islam and Muslims. By centering Islam and Muslims, the IIS offers a critical viewpoint from which we can better understand our world.

The Center exists to transform the study of Islam and Muslims into an enriching, panoramic view of human society and the world we inhabit.

The center’s research produces enriching perspectives about Islam and Muslims across four broad areas:

Academia: Research that questions, expands, and diversifies the production of knowledge on Islam and Muslims.
Policy: Research that critically looks at global governance, regulation, and policies through the Muslim experience.
Community: Research that integrates the lived experience of Canada’s diverse Muslims to support democracy and inclusion.
Culture: Research and programming that weaves Islamic and Muslim modes of cultural production as part of our shared, rich tapestry.

IIS Projects

The IIS has a proven history of developing high-quality research projects that are calibrated to the issues facing Muslims in Canada.

Structural Islamophobia Research Lab (SIRL)
The IIS’ “Structural Islamophobia Research Lab (SiRL)” supports and produces high-quality research on structural Islamophobia in Canada. It sponsors scholarship examining the formation and operation of Islamophobia in the form of institutional policy or bureaucratic practice, and explore them using creative research methodologies. It’s current project examines Muslim families’ experiences with child welfare services in Ontario.

Islamic Art & Material Culture Collaborative (IAMCC)
The Islamic Art and Material Culture Collaborative is a Toronto-based research collaboration between the IIS, the Aga Khan Museum (AKM), and the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). IAMCC curates public events and fosters interdisciplinary research on Islamic art and material culture.

Muslims in Canada Data Initiative (MiCDI)
MiCDI is a research initiative focused on creating and analyzing large data on Muslims in Canada. It undertakes projects that are developed by the research team or in collaboration with external partners. MiCDI produces data-informed studies to improve the visibility of Muslims across Canada. MiCDI is led by a team of experienced sociologists and quantitative specialists from across Canada’s research universities.

Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA)
The Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA) is a community-calibrated, professional quality archive service to uniquely document the rich heritage of Muslims in Canada. MiCA fills in a gap of Muslim history amongst Canada’s memory institutions. It acquires, organizes, preserves, and makes accessible records of and about Canadian Muslim individuals and organizations that possess enduring value for the preservation of the history and documentary heritage of Muslims in Canada.

Reading Muslims
Reading Muslims is an interdisciplinary research endeavor involving local and international scholars, and centers on textuality in Islamic studies. Reading Muslims features four research hubs that interrogate textuality and its place in the formation of community identities in dynamic societies, both past and present.

Under Layered Suspicion
The IIS’ publication “Under Layered Suspicion” examined potential biases and prejudicial practices of CRA audits of Muslim-led charities. This work led to a series of of examinations to better improve relations and understanding between Muslim-led charity sector and the Charities Directorate.