The Voices of IIS explores new vistas of research and pedagogy.
The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) was established in 1977 as an academic institution of higher education. It is dedicated to the study of Islam, with a particular focus on the history, philosophy, law, and mysticism of Ismaili and broader Shi‘i intellectual and cultural heritages within the larger Muslim ummah.
Leaders of My Community | The Voices of History | Episode 5
The fifth episode of The Voices of History, released to mark World Teachers' Day, asks veteran teachers from Ismaili communities a simple question: what inspired you to become a teacher? Their answers span five geographies and more than six decades of classroom practice.
This episode is dedicated to the memory of two teachers and scholars: Rai Dr Sayyid Jalal Hosseini Badakhchani, who devoted his life to researching, preserving and teaching Ismaili thought, history and literature, first in Iran and later at The Institute of Ismaili Studies; and Alwaez Vazir Fida Ali Aisar, who spent more than six decades in Gilgit-Baltistan training generations of teachers, preachers and educators.
Do you know an elder who spent a lifetime teaching, or who still remembers the teacher who changed the direction of their life? If you would like to contribute their story, please contact the Oral History Project Coordinator, Rizwan Karim, at rkarim@iis.ac.uk.
23 Sept 2026
Dr Gurdofarid Miskinzoda | Voices of IIS Episode 17
Dr Gurdofarid Miskinzoda is an alumna of the IIS' Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities. She first heard of IIS in 1991, as a schoolgirl, at a village gathering in Tajikistan. She holds a BA and MA in Arabic and Persian studies from Moscow State University, and a PhD from SOAS, University of London. Dr Miskinzoda now serves as one of the co-heads of the Department of Education and managing editor of the Shiʿi Heritage Series. In this conversation, she traces the family and the teachers who carried her from Khorog to Moscow to London. That path ran through a civil war, a contested scholarship, and a four-hour interview at a Moscow airport. She explains why Shiʿi studies sat on the margins of the field for so long. She describes how IIS built the Shiʿi Heritage Series across the whole Shiʿi tradition. She closes on the alumni, on 50 years of IIS, and on why she cannot separate her scholarship from her life.
[0:00] Introduction & welcome
[1:22] A village gathering in 1991, a father's decision
[6:00] Chemistry, chickens, and a grandfather's locked cupboard
[7:21] Civil war and the move to Khorog State University
[9:10] The scholarship argument and the journey to Moscow
[12:01] Teachers in Moscow, script lessons and seminars at home
[14:28] Finding the sira, a way into Islamic history
[15:58] The GPISH prospectus and a chance conversation
[19:03] Two rejections, then an interview at an airport
[22:42] Why Shiʿi studies sat on the margins
[26:33] What IIS did differently
[27:45] The Shiʿi Heritage Series and the debate over the title
[31:20] Teaching , what students should take away
[35:27] Academic rigour and the lived faith of communities
[39:40] Alumni and impact
[42:47] Fifty years of IIS, and what will last
[45:07] "There is no beyond for me."
[48:16] Closing remarks
27 Aug 2026
Qudsia Shah | Voices of IIS Episode 16
Qudsia Shah is an alumna of IIS' Graduate Program in Islamic Studies and Humanities who joined the Institute in 2003 after working in development in Pakistan with the Aga Khan Rural Support Program, the First Microfinance Bank, and Save the Children. She holds degrees in English Literature and Economics, Economics, and the Social Anthropology of Development, and now serves as a senior research officer in constituency studies, having recently marked 13 years at IIS. In this conversation, she reflects on her winding path to London, her unexpected calling into IIS, and the highlights of her career — including a landmark FAQ paper on Jamatkhana submitted to Imam Shah Karim, her collaborative work on Muslim biomedical ethics, her growing focus on climate change and its impact on Ismaili communities like those in Gilgit-Baltistan, and her upcoming monograph for the Living Ismaili Tradition series. She closes with reflections on connection, empathy, and kindness as the guiding themes of her personal and intellectual journey.
[0:00] Introduction & welcome
[1:39] Journey to IIS — her unexpected trajectory begins
[2:34] The pull toward London despite reluctance [4:29] Applying to IIS as a "rite of passage"
[12:02] Returning to Pakistan and the path back to IIS
[13:17] Marriage, Chicago, and finding her way back
[13:41] Joining IIS — "the rest is history"
[13:39] Reflecting on 13 years — early achievements
[16:55] The FAQ response paper submitted to Imam Shah Karim
[22:08] Biomedical ethics project and key collaborators
[22:08] Work on climate change and its personal significance
[29:23] Founding the IIS Book Club
[29:52] The Living Ismaili Traditions monograph project
[34:34] Closing reflections — connection, empathy, kindness
[37:30] Closing remarks
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