Professor Izz El-Din Omer Mousa

Izz Al-Din Mousa was educated at the American University of Beirut (AUB), from which he received his B.A. in 1962, an M.A. in 1969, and a Ph.D.  in 1975 in Islamic History, as well as a Diploma in Education.

Professor Mousa started his career as a school teacher in Sudan in 1957, becoming a teaching assistant during his graduate studies at AUB. Between 1973-1983, he joined Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria (Nigeria), where he rose through academic ranks to the status of professor in Islamic History. In 1983, he joined King Saud University where he was teaching Islamic History. He is currently the Dean of the College of Strategic Sciences in Naif Arab University for Security Sciences in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Professor Mousa published a number of books, editions and articles in Arabic and English on topics pertaining to Islamic history, especially in north and west Africa. His book Economic Activity in the Maghrib in the 6th Century AH (in Arabic) is an important reference for researchers and readers interested in the economic life in Maghrib more than 800 years ago. Mousa also supervised several MA and Ph.D. students both in Ahmadu Bello University and King Saud University. He also served on many academic boards in both universities. He is an active participant in conferences and cultural events in Saudi Arabia and abroad, and was a regular participant in Al-Hasaniyya classes, held annually during the month of Ramadan under the auspices of the late Moroccan monarch, King Hassan II. Professor Mousa is a member of the ALESCO Committee on the Status of Arabic and Islamic Studies in West Africa, the International Islamic Literature Association, the Arabic Thought Consortium (Jordan) and the Al-Albait Foundation for Islamic Civilization Research (Jordan).

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.