Mohammad Habash

Biography

Mohamed Habash was born on 1 October 1962 in Damascus. The son of an imam, he was born into a religious family. He started his religious studies at the age of twelve years and learned to memorize the Koran. He studied at Damascus University where he obtained a master's study of Islamic law. He also studied at the University of Beirut from where it emerged with a degree in Arabic literature, then at the University of Tripoli whence it emerged degree in Islamic studies.

After returning to Syria, he obtained the highest distinction in the Koran memorization of the House of Fatwa (Dar al-Ifta). In Pakistan, the University of Karachi issued him a master in Islamic studies. His doctorate, which he obtained at the University of San Koran in Khartoum, was devoted to various senses induced by ten different recitations of the Koran (al-qara'at al-Qorania).

During his studies, he was mainly influenced by the Mufti Ahmed Kuftaro, as well as Abu Hanifa, Imam al-Shatibi and Touf al-Hanbali. It was under their influence now that he opposed the monopoly of religion on politics, and on a literal reading of religious texts.

In 1988, he held the post of professor of Islamic sciences at the Islamic University of Damascus, then in 1992 he became professor ("Tafsir") at the University Usul Ed-din. He then served as secretary in the center of introduction to the Arab-Islamic civilization. In addition to his teaching profession, he was in 1989 director of two institutes of the Koran in Syria.

Elected to the Syrian Parliament, he is now an independent member and member of the administrative committee of parliament. In addition to representing Syria at international conferences, he participates in political broadcasts on television and radio. He has written more than twenty books, directs the Center for Islamic Studies in Damascus and leads Friday prayers at the Al-Zahra mosque.