Professor Monzer Kahf has over 30 years’ experience in Islamic finance, banking and economics. He is Professor of Islamic finance at the MSC program in the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies. Based in based in California, USA, he is also a private Consultant, Professional Trainer and Lecturer, in Islamic banking, finance and economics.

Between 1985 to 1999, Prof. Kahf served as an Economist, Senior Economist and then, head of the Research Division of the Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI) of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He does professional training and consults for international and national banks, finance and investment institutions and specialists, legal advisors, etc. in Islamic finance, banking and economics across the USA, Canada, UK, Switzerland, Germany, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Iran, Malaysia Indonesia and Singapore.

He also provides expert opinions to courts in disputes related to Islamic finance. Prof. Kahf has developed several training modules in Islamic banking and finance, Zakah, Trusts (Awqaf) and Islamic economics in general. In addition to his experience as a lecturer, he also served as a Professor of Islamic Economics and Banking in the graduate program of Islamic economics and banking, School of Shari’ah, Yarmouk University, Jordan.

He has written 28 books and presented over 91 published articles (both in English and Arabic) on Trusts (Awqaf), Zakah, Islamic finance and banking and other areas of Islamic economics, in conferences and seminars across the world.

Prof. Kahf holds a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (1975), a High Diploma in Social and Economic Planning, UN Institute of Planning, Damascus, Syria (1967) and also a B. A, Business from University of Damascus, Damascus, Syria, (1962) where he won the President of Syria Award for best University Graduating Student. He also received the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Prize for Islamic Economics in 2001.

He speaks English, Arabic and French.