McGill University - Institute of Islamic Studies

Congratulations to Athena Kalaganis! Another of our Joint Honours students in World Islamic and Middle East Studies (WIMES) along with History, Athena has been gathering wisdom from across McGill. 🦉 Not only has been maintaining a high GPA, but Athena has been a managing editor of the 2025-2026 issue of Maktoub, as well as a staff writer for the MPRA student journal.

McGill's Undergraduate Kuwait Prizes are awarded at the recommendation of the Institute of Islamic Studies by the Faculty of Arts to outstanding Canadian, US, or Mexican citizens and/or permanent residents of Canada who have successfully completed at least one year of study in the Majors, Honours, or Joint Honours Concentrations in the World Islamic and Middle East Studies Programs.

Heeva Shahidian is one of the four winners of the Undergraduate Kuwait Prize for 2026! Tabrīk mīguyīm! Serving as VP External for WIMESSA, McGill's most cheikh student group, Heeva will also be co-VP Events - Refugee Education, Activism and Advocacy with WUSC McGill. A dexterous artist in charcoal, she has also been an Associate Editor and Illustrator for Maktoub, McGill’s Journal of Islamic Studies.

In her own words,

"A lot of my academic interests centre around Iran, Persian culture, and the broader Middle East, alongside international development and humanitarian issues. I’ve really loved the classes I’ve taken at the Institute so far, especially the opportunity to study Persian literature, history, and contemporary Iran. I’ve also really enjoyed being able to explore these interests across both of my majors and connect what I study in the classroom to the kinds of humanitarian and advocacy work I hope to pursue in the future."

McGill's Undergraduate Kuwait Prizes are awarded at the recommendation of the Institute of Islamic Studies by the Faculty of Arts to outstanding Canadian, US, or Mexican citizens and/or permanent residents of Canada who have successfully completed at least one year of study in the Majors, Honours, or Joint Honours Concentrations in the World Islamic and Middle East Studies Programs.

(Background calligraphy by Heeva Shahidian.)

Do you know this artist who was painting this lovely image of Morrice Hall yesterday? On another of the beautiful days we've been having in Montreal recently, Arabic instructor Hala Jawlakh noticed him and took these photos.

Intermediate Urdu-Hindi student Rafay Ahmed is the winner of this year's Maurice and Sara Greenblatt Scholarship!

Hailing from Saskatchewan, Rafay is pursuing McGill's Canadian Studies program, and winning laurel upon laurel in the process, mashallah. This summer, Rafay has been working as a Multilateral Policy Intern at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the International Organizations in Vienna, primarily responsible for covering the International Atomic Energy Agency and Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization.Since his first year at McGill, Rafay has been involved with The McGill International Review. In May of 2026, he started as the Editor-in-Chief of the MIR for the 2026-2027 academic year. An exceptional student of Urdu apart from all of his other accomplishments, Rafay is very much deserving of this prestigious award.

The Greenblatt Scholarship is awarded by the Faculty of Arts Scholarships Committee on the recommendation of the Department of History and departments offering Modern Languages. It is available to undergraduate students taking a modern language and proceeding to their final year, ranked by yearly GPA.

Bahut bahut mubārak ho Rafay!

Mabrūk to our phenomenal student McLain Boege, winner of an Undergraduate Kuwait Prize! Watch out for this dynamic woman, who has been able to balance her grades in her Joint Honours in International Development and World Islamic and Middle East Studies *and* hold down her role as Vice President (Academic) of the World Islamic and Middle East Studies Students' Association. We are so proud of McLain's hard work and her achievements. Watch her soar higher and higher, inshallah!

McGill's Undergraduate Kuwait Prizes are awarded at the recommendation of the Institute of Islamic Studies by the Faculty of Arts to outstanding Canadian, US, or Mexican citizens and/or permanent residents of Canada who have successfully completed at least one year of study in the Majors, Honours, or Joint Honours Concentrations in the World Islamic and Middle East Studies Programs.

Does your cat understand your Turkish fully? Do you know some Turkish, but need some enrichment? Lower Intermediate Turkish (ISLA-333) might be the course for you. Taught by Dr. Veysel Şimşek, Lower Intermediate Turkish can be taken by any McGill student, and non-McGill students within Québec can take them through the consortium. Just email Dr. Şimşek to get started.

Your cat will say "Artık seni anlayabiliyorum, insan kardeşim!" 🐾

In ISLA-443 Upper Intermediate Persian, you'll perfect your abilities in this ancient language with Canada's best Persian language pedagogue, Prof. Taraneh Sanei.

You will immerse yourself in Persian music and literature. You will learn about the diversity of Persian across Asia, and sociolinguistic aspects. And you will become familiar with the cultures of the Persian-speaking world. The class may include movie screenings, celebrations, conversation hours, game nights, book clubs, field trips, and more.

If you grew up speaking Persian and/or have studied Persian before, this course may be a great fit for you! Whatever your background or previous experience with Persian, feel free to reach out—we may have a spot for you in this engaging and fun course!

Students at other Quebec universities, including UdeM, Concordia, and UQAM, are welcome to take Upper Intermediate Persian through the consortium. Email for more info or to enroll:

Prof. Taraneh Sanei
[email protected]

Mubarakbad to Safi Khan, a winner of a 2026 graduate Kuwait Prize from the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University! A Masters student at the Institute, Safi's work looks at the history of q***r South Asian migration to the city of Montreal. Safi is also a superfan of Urdu poet Parveen Shakir. Many congratulations!