Suleiman A. Mourad was born in Beirut, Lebanon. He received his college education at the American University of Beirut, and earned his Ph.D. at Yale University. Since 2005, he lives in Northampton (Massachusetts) with his wife and two children, where he teaches at Smith College as the Myra M. Sampson Chair Professor of Religion and Middle East Studies. His courses focus on Islamic history, religious thought, law, and culture, and on comparative themes (Jerusalem, Crusades, etc.). He also teaches on food and enjoys cooking and gardening. Aside from his professional work and publications, which include The Mosaic of Islam (Verso 2016), Routledge Handbook on Jerusalem (Routledge 2019), and Muslim Sources of the Crusader Period (Hackett 2021), he has contributed to several historical documentaries – such as Jerusalem: City of Faith and Fury (CNN 2021), and The Sultan and the Saint (PBS 2017) – and writes on historical and current issues in outlets, such as the New Left Review–Sidecar and 180Post.com. He is currently finishing a book about Lebanese food cultures and the symbiotic relationship/interdependence of people, animals, and nature, with recipes of famous dishes.
