Dr. Osman Latiff

Dr. Osman Latiff is a Senior Researcher and Instructor at Sapience Institute. He has a BA in History, an MA in Crusader Studies, and has completed a PhD in the "Place of Fada'il al-Quds (Merits of Jerusalem) and Religious Poetry in the Muslim effort to recapture Jerusalem in the Crusades". He has delivered many papers in the UK and internationally at renowned academic institutions. His book on the crusades, "The Cutting Edge of the Poet’s Sword: Muslim Poetic Responses to the Crusades" was published by Brill in 2018. He has also written and continues to write academic articles and book chapters in the field of history. Further to his PhD, he conducted post-doctorate research in Politics and International Relations ("The effect of war media iconography on US identity: disruptive images, counter hegemony and political syncretism") — considering bottom-up, grassroots humanistic values and affective principles of empathy and syncretism, and the power of the visual dimension in war and conflict. His second book, on the place of empathy in challenging attitudes of otherness in human societies, entitled "On Being Human: How Islam addresses othering, dehumanisation and empathy" was published in February 2020 and launched in Christchurch New Zealand on the anniversary of the Christchurch mosque shootings (2019). His post-doctorate research was published last year, "Navigating War, Dissent and Empathy in Arab/U.S relations: Seeing Our Others in Darkened Spaces" (Springer, 2021) is a comparative, multi-modal study that helps to explain shifting self-identities within the U.S and relationally through the representation of an Arab 'other'. His most recent work, "Divine Perfection: Christianity an Islam on Sin and Salvation" (Sapience Institute, 2022) is a theological response to Christian missionaries and in particular to Dr. William Lane Craig The work sieves through centuries of Christian misrepresentation of Islam and makes the case for the maximal perfection of Allah as reflected through the doctrines of sin and salvation in Islam. Dr. Latiff is a lecturer and teacher at Jamia Masjid and Islamic Centre, Slough, and is a regular speaker at mosques and universities in the UK and internationally.
Follow:
17 Articles

Media continues unfair reporting on Israeli invasion of Gaza

8 Min Read

On the Gaza genocide, the BBC and others continue to focus on the oppressor as opposed to the oppressed.

How to Re-humanise the Palestinians | Empowered Podcast #2 | Dr. Osman Latiff

2 Min Read

Welcome to the second episode of our podcast, Empowered by Islam21c, where we collaborate with leading voices to discuss Islam's solutions to 21st century challenges and trends. In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Osman Latiff, an esteemed scholar whose post-doctoral research focuses on empathy, 'othering', and conflict. 📌 Topics Discussed 🔹 Empathy & Othering in Conflict: Dr. Latiff shares his insights on how these concepts manifest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 🔹 Rehumanising the Palestinians: Practical steps and philosophical frameworks for countering dehumanisation. 🔹 Was Mandela a Terrorist?: A provocative question exploring resistance, terrorism, and how narratives change over time. 🔹 Media Language & Its

Lost in Time: Rediscovering our Spaces

16 Min Read

Time is akin to a mirror in which we must reflect on past peoples, their experiences, and lessons.

What made Hiroshima and Nagasaki possible?

20 Min Read

In this piece, Dr. Osman Latiff argues that the dehumanisation of those different to us often causes much of the mass destruction in the world.

Have Charity Appeals made us War Photographers?

8 Min Read

You have been seeing so many charity appeals... Have you become desensitised? Do you change the channel and forget? Have you become a War Photographer?

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: The Kind of Death That Kills Us All

20 Min Read

Arthur’s death should serve as a bitter reminder about our collective human responsibility towards each other.

The Muslim Genocide in the Heart of Europe

1 Min Read

Dr Uthman Latiff gives a haunting insight into the Srebrenica genocide which began on 11th July 1995 and became the worst massacre in Europe since WWll.

Unscripted #36 | Dehumanisation, Disney & Da’wah | Dr Uthman Lateef

1 Min Read

Join us this week on our Unscripted Podcast #36 with Sheikh Dr. Uthman Lateef.

The Spectacle of Suffering

15 Min Read

The Spectacle of Suffering & Learning to Empathise The image of Aylan Kurdi, of a forlorn three year old boy alone on a beach, flat down on his face as sea water lapped over and around him, appeared to wake the conscience of millions. We were confronted with ourselves, our weakness spoke through our tears and the isolation we saw in him drew us together in communal huddles. We felt. And in feeling we felt ourselves too, we felt for a moment what it meant to be human, to be small and weak, but our humanity extended beyond the exterior.

The Suicide of Dutch girl Noa Pothoven and Finding Light in Our Darkest Moments

21 Min Read

What outlook and remedy does Islām provide for some of our darkest and hardest moments?