Dato’ Dr Afifi al-Akiti, FRSA, is the Kuwait Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and lectures at the Faculty of Theology — Oxford University’s oldest faculty. He is the first ever Malaysian to be appointed to such a position in this world-famous university. His areas of expertise are Islamic theology, law, finance and science. Dato’ Afifi is internationally famous for his 2005 fatwa, Defending the Transgressed by Censuring the Reckless Against the Killing of Civilians, written in response to the 7 July London bombings, which was praised by scholars worldwide and gained a massive readership. In addition to his critically acclaimed written works, he has worked on several BBC documentaries, including the award winning 3-episode Science and Islam in 2009. In 2023, Dato’ Afifi was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Jordan by HM The King of Jordan. In 2024, Dato’ Afifi was appointed by the Conference of Rulers in Malaysia to be a member of the National Islamic Council (MKI) chaired by HRH The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah. In that same year, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA) in the United Kingdom. Since 2010, Dato’ Dr Afifi has been listed in The Muslim 500: The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims.
