Muhammad Kamal (philosopher)

Muhammad Kamal
محەممەد کەمال
Born1955 (age 70–71)
Kirkuk, Iraq
CitizenshipAustralian
OccupationsPhilosopher, academic, author, translator
Years active1977–present
Known forExistential philosophy, Kurdish philosophical literature
Academic background
EducationUniversity of Karachi (PhD)
Alma materUniversity of Karachi
InfluencesMartin Heidegger, Mulla Sadra, Jean-Paul Sartre
Academic work
School or tradition
Phenomenology, Existentialism
Main interests
Ontology, Metaphysics, Islamic philosophy, Existential philosophy
Notable works
From Essence to Being: The Philosophy of Mulla Sadra and Martin Heidegger

Muhammad Kamal (Kurdish: محەممەد کەمال; born 1955) is a Kurdish philosopher, academic, author, and translator. He is an Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Melbourne's Asia Institute in Australia, specializing in existential philosophy, particularly phenomenology.[1]

Early life and education

Muhammad Kamal was born in 1955 in Kirkuk, Iraq. He completed his primary and secondary education in Sulaymaniyah, and graduated from the Teachers' Institute in Erbil in 1977. From 1977 to 1979, he worked as a teacher in the village of Awakala.[2]

In 1979 Kamal moved to Karachi, Pakistan, to pursue higher education. He completed his undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees at the University of Karachi, where he also served as a lecturer and assistant professor until 1994. In 1992, he conducted postdoctoral research on Martin Heidegger's philosophy in Germany with a DAAD fellowship.[1][2]

Academic career

In 1994 Kamal moved to Australia and began his academic career there. He started as a lecturer at Monash University in Melbourne in 1995, then moved to La Trobe University in 1997. Since 1997 he has been a professor of philosophy at the Asia Institute of the University of Melbourne.[2]

Kamal's research focuses on existential philosophy, ontology, metaphysics, and Islamic philosophy. He has particular expertise in the philosophical works of Martin Heidegger and the 17th-century Persian philosopher Mulla Sadra.[1]

Publications

Books in English

  • Interreligious Dialogue Models From the Life of the Prophet Muhammad (with Alwani Ghazali), Routledge, 2024[1]
  • A Universe in Constant Change: Mulla Sadra and Transubstantial Change, ICAS Press, 2022[1]
  • Mulla Sadra's Transcendent Philosophy, Taylor & Francis, 2016[3]
  • From Essence to Being: The Philosophy of Mulla Sadra and Martin Heidegger, ICAS Press, 2010[4][5]

Book chapters

  • "Islamic Modernism in India" in History of Indian Philosophy, Routledge, 2017[1]
  • "Mulla Sadra and Martin Heidegger: A Philosophical Turn" in The Misty Land of Ideas and the Light of Dialogue: An Anthology of Comparative Philosophy, ICAS Press, 2013

Selected journal articles

  • "The Ezidi genocide and the need to challenge the Islamic State's ideology", Melbourne Asia Review, 2025[1]
  • "Parmenides and Mulla Sadra: The Mystical Journey to Being", 2019[6]
  • "Existence and Essence in Mulla Sadra's Ontology", Philosophy Study, 2019[1]
  • "Spinoza and the Relativity of Evil in the World", Open Journal of Philosophy, 2018[1]
  • "Ibn 'Arabi and Spinoza on God and the World", Open Journal of Philosophy, 2017[1][7]

Books in Kurdish

Kamal has written extensively in Kurdish, contributing significantly to Kurdish philosophical literature:

  • Descartes (دێکارت), Sardam, 2025
  • Philosophy of Language (فەلسەفەی زمان), Sardam, 2024
  • Marx as a Philosopher (مارکس وەکوو فەیلەسووف), Sardam, 2019
  • Philosophy of Being (فەلسەفەی بوون), Andêsha, 2014
  • Phenomenology (فینۆمینۆلۆجی), Binayî Publishing, 2013
  • Plato's Philosophy (فەلسەفەی ئەفلاتون), Sardam, 2010
  • Heidegger and a Philosophical Revolution (ھایدیگەر و شۆڕشێکی فەلسەفی), Sardam, 2007

Among his Kurdish works is Philosophy of Spinoza and Substance (فەلسەفەی سپینۆزا و جەوهەر), which examines the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza and presents his ideas in accessible Kurdish prose.[8]

Translations into Kurdish

Kamal has translated major philosophical works into Kurdish, making Western philosophy accessible to Kurdish readers:

Research interests

Kamal's scholarly work focuses on:

Awards and recognition

  • DAAD Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1994[1]
  • University of Melbourne Award, 2022[1]

Legacy and influence

Muhammad Kamal has made significant contributions to Kurdish intellectual life by translating major philosophical works into Kurdish and writing original philosophical texts in Kurdish. His work has helped make Western philosophical traditions accessible to Kurdish-speaking audiences while also contributing to Islamic philosophical scholarship in English.[8]

In 2020, the University of Raparin organized a philosophy seminar featuring Kamal, where he addressed questions about "the meaning of human existence" and discussed various philosophers' perspectives on life and human purpose. The event highlighted his ongoing engagement with Kurdish academic institutions and his role in Kurdish intellectual discourse.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "A/Prof Muhammad Kamal". University of Melbourne. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  2. ^ a b c "Biography of Dr. Muhammad Kamal". Existentialist Philosophy (in Kurdish). Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  3. ^ Muhammad Kamal (2016). Mulla Sadra's Transcendent Philosophy. doi:10.4324/9781315596211. ISBN 978-1-315-59621-1. Retrieved 2025-09-17. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  4. ^ Kamal, Muhammad (26 April 2010). From Essence to Being: The Philosophy of Mulla Sadra and Martin Heidegger. ICAS Press. ISBN 978-1904063377.
  5. ^ Kamal, Muhammad (2019). From Essence to Being: The Philosophy of Mulla Sadra and Martin Heidegger. ICAS Press. ISBN 978-904063-37-7. Retrieved 2025-09-18. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help)
  6. ^ Muhammad Kamal. "Parmenides and Mulla Sadra: The Mystical Journey to Being". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  7. ^ Muhammad Kamal. "Ibn 'Arabi and Spinoza on God and the World". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  8. ^ a b "فەلسەفەی سپینۆزا و جەوهەر". Kurdipedia (in Kurdish). Retrieved 2025-09-18.
  9. ^ Muhammad Kamal. "From Essence to Being: The Philosophy of Mulla Sadra and Martin Heidegger". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  10. ^ "سیمینارێک فەلسەفی بۆ ڕەوانبێژ دکتۆر محمد کەمال سازکرا". University of Raparin (in Kurdish). 8 January 2020. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
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