Hicham Tiflati, Ph.D., Subject Matter Expert (French speaking Muslim communities and identities, and research on violent extremism)
Hicham is a well-known academic and professor of humanities at John Abbott College. He is also an expert at the Centre for Civic Religious Literacy. His work focuses on religion, politics, and secularism, with a particular interest in radicalization, leaving violent extremism, Muslim identities, and Islamic schooling. For over ten years, he has worked on issues affecting Muslims in the West and has interacted with families and friends of Canadians who joined ISIS.
He has written two books: Islamic Schooling and the Identities of Muslim Youth in Quebec: Navigating National Identity, Religion, and Belonging and Destination Da’esh! Pourquoi s’enrôlent-ils ? Un regard sur la radicalisation violente. These books provide important insights into Muslim identity, radicalization, and the social and political forces influencing these issues.
Dr. Tiflati’s work covers topics like Islamophobia, the connections between religion, politics, and secularism, and Muslim issues in the West. He also creates interactive courses and workshops that explore the relationship between Muslims and areas like diversity, social justice, and anti-discrimination. His scholarship offers a thoughtful look at how Muslims are represented and the role of academia in discussions about religion, politics, and social justice
Dr. Tiflati has been invited to speak on his area of specialization on Aljazeera and CBC, and has written for popular media, including The Star, Montreal Gazette, CBC, the Islamic Monthly, Jadaliyya, European Eye on Radicalization, and Ricochet. He has also served as an expert advisor on two documentaries on Jihadism and radicalization: “the Way Out” and “The Jihadi Next Door.”
In the past few years, he has had the opportunity to work closely with esteemed scholars in terrorism studies such as Dr. John Horgan, Dr. Lorne Dawson, Dr. Mia Bloom, Dr. Michael Ungar, Dr. Amarnath Amarsingam, Dr. Ghayda Hassan, and Dr. Daniel Koehler.