Zeki Saritoprak, PhD

Dr. Saritoprak has been teaching Islamic Studies courses in the Theology and Religious Studies Department at JCU since 2002 and in 2003. Since then, he has become the inaugural holder of the Beddiuzzaman Said Nursi Chair in Islamic Studies. At JCU, Dr. Saritoprak has been a tireless advocate for diversity and helping JCU to become a more welcoming place for Muslim and other minority students. He helped found, and still serves as, the adviser for the Muslim Student Society and often leads the group's Jummuah or Friday prayer.

Outside of JCU, Dr. Saritoprak has been a leader in dialogue and interfaith work. He is a member of the National Catholic-Muslim Dialogue and currently a Muslim co-Chair for the Midwest Catholic Muslim Dialogue both of which are co-sponsored by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Islamic Society of North America. In his many writings including his books on Islam's Jesus and Islamic Spirituality and his countless public appearances, Dr. Saritoprak has become a tireless advocate for dialogue, reconciliation, and peace between the adherents of the world's religious traditions. He is currently working on a Manuscript for a book on Islamic Eschatology.

Selected Courses

• TRS 2430: Intro to Islam
• TRS 3441/5441: Islam in America
• TRS 3442/5442: Islam and the Environment
• TRS 3444/5444: Islamic Spirituality

Selected Publications 

• Islamic Spirituality: Theology and Practice for the Modern World (Bloomsbury Academic: 2018)
• Islam's Jesus (University Press of Florida, 2014)
• Fundamentals of Rumi’s Thought: A Mevlevi Sufi Perspective (New Jersey, The Light, 2004; second edition, 2005)
• Al-Dajjal in Islamic Creed (Istanbul: Yeni Asya, 1992) (Turkish).