Sayed Hassan Akhlaq

Sayed Hassan Akhlaq (Persian: سید حسن اخلاق) is an Afghan-born American academic and writer.

Akhlaq was born in 1976, in Sayghan City, in the province of Bamyan, Afghanistan.^[1] He immigrated to Iran when he was four years old.^[2] Finishing primary and secondary schools in Mashhad, he started to study classical religious seminaries (in Qum and Mashhad).^[3]

Afterward he studied Islamic traditional courses and was educated in the field of Islamic Theology and Philosophy in Razavi University of Islamic Sciences.^[4] In 2022, Dr. Akhlaq gave a talk at Fairfield University^[5] where he shared his personal narrative. His presentation covered his time as a refugee, his approaches to nurturing critical thinking and propelling academic freedom in Afghanistan, and his subsequent exile due to his philosophical and political beliefs and teachings.^[6]

He obtained his Master of Art degree in the field of Western philosophy from the Imam Khomeini International University and a doctorate (PhD) in Western philosophy from Allameh Tabatabai University.^[7]

He has taught at some universities in Iran and Afghanistan, such as Payame Noor University (2008–2010), Al-Mustafa International University (2006–2010), Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan (2010) and Gharjistan Institute of Higher Education (2010).^[8] He acted as the adviser of Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan and Chancellor of Gharjistan University (Farah Branch).^[9] He works as the adviser for the Center for the Study of Islam and the Middle East in Washington D.C.^[10] Akhlaq, is affiliated with the George Washington University, the Catholic University of America, Princeton University University Center for Human Values,^[11] and Boston University's Department World Languages & Literatures.^[12] He has given lectures at University of Idaho.^[13] and Purdue University Purdue College of Liberal Arts and University of Louisville College of Arts & Sciences.^[14] The Global Studies Directory: People, Organizations, Publications, published by Brill in 2018, included Akhlaq as a prominent figure among scholars significantly contributing to the domain of global studies^[15] Akhlaq gave talks on Islamic Science and its Relationship to Faith^[16] Islamization and ISIS ^[17] at the Catholic University's McLean Center for the Study of Culture and Values.

He has managed the first Afghan intellectuals' magazine, Rayehey-e-azadi:the smell of freedom by international co-editorial staff for more than two years (2002–2003).^[18]

He has published five books showing the author's intellectual trend.

His dozens of articles have been published in scholarly and scientific journals (such as: Ayeneh Marefat:^[19] Beheshti University, Islam Pizuhi:^[20] IHCS, Zehn: Islamic Research Institute for culture and thought, Human Rights: Mofid University, Nebras: Nebras Research Institute in Kabul^[21]).

Akhlaq is the first Afghan philosopher that presented papers in The XXII World Congress of Philosophy (2008 Seoul) and Catholic University of America (Washington DC: 2009).^[22][23] He has also published many papers on several profound websites like OpenDemocracy^[24] and HuffingtonPost.^[25]

Akhlaq is a professional member of American Academy of Religion, American Association of University Professors and American Philosophical Association and American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies^[26] in Villanova University. Akhlaq "has made," Global Studies Directory: People, Organizations, Publications writes "significant contributions to dialogue among civilizations with regard to comparative philosophy, modernization, and global studies."^[27]

• The Secular and The Sacred Complementary and/or Conflictual? (Washington DC.: The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy: 2017, LCCN 2017007504 (print) LCCN 2016053235 (ebook) ISBN 9781565138209 LC record available at Library of Congress^[28])
• From Rumi to Nietzsche (Qom: Sulok-e Javan: 1386/2007 Solar Hejri, ISBN 964-9958-01-0):LC record available at Az Mawlānā tā Nīchah^[29]
• The Philosophical discourse between Islam and the West (Qom: Al-Mustafa International University, 1387/2008, ISBN 978-964-195-005-9) LC record available at LC Catalog^[30])
• The Tradition of Enlightenment in the West and Islam (Tehran: Amir Kabir, 1389/2009, ISBN 978-964-00-1231-4) LC record available at LC Catalog.^[31]
• From tradition of Balkh to modernity of Paris (Kabul: Nebras Research Institute, 1389/2010, B745.N49 A44 2011)
• The Philosophical Meditations of Allameh Ghuryani (Kabul: Amiri publication, 1398/2019, B978.9936.652.21.7)
• The Etiquette Guidelines of Critical Thinking: (آداب درست اندیشی /Adaab-i DurustAndishi) (Kabul, Maqsudi publishing company, ISBN 978-1312548534)
• The Making of Shia Ayatollahs (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023, ISBN 978-1-7936-5515-8)
• Intellectual and Spiritual Debates in Islam – A Comprehensive Guide to Islamic Discourse’s Intellectual Origins (Cluj University Press, 2023, 2023, ISBN 978-606-37-1890-8)
• Exiled Scholars in Western Academia: Refugees or Intellectuals?: Reflections on the Paradox of Inclusion and Exclusion (Palgrave Macmillan Cham, 2025, ISBN 978-3-031-83774-6)

• Voice of America – Interview with Dr. Akhlaq (1) Interview with Dr. Akhlaq (2)
• Official website
• Sayed Hassan Akhlaq publications indexed by Google Scholar
• Princeton University, University Center for Human Values
• Boston University
• The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy
• HuffingtonPost
• OpenDemocracy
• PhilPeople
• ResearchGate