Dr. Abla I. Hasan

Dr. Hasan obtained her BA in Philosophy from Damascus University/Syria in 2000, followed by a Diploma of High Studies from Damascus University in 2001. As a Fullbright grantee, she earned her MA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2009 and her PhD in Philosophy of Language from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2013. She is a native speaker of Arabic. She teaches Arabic language and culture at UNL and is the Program's Founder and Coordinator. Her teaching and research focus on Qur'anic Studies, Qur’anic Hermeneutics, Islamic feminism, and Arabic studies. She has published with Brill, Analize, Ar-Raniry, JIL, Disputatio, Al-Manarah, E-logos and other peer-reviewed international journals. She is the author of: Decoding the Egalitarianism of the Qur'an: Retrieving Lost Voices on Gender (Lexington: 2019), On Pain and Suffering: a Qur’anic Perspective (Lexington: 2022), and The Qur’anic Dilemma: A Hermeneutical Investigation of al-Khidr (Routledge: 2022).

Hasan is the recipient of the College of Arts and Sciences Engagement Award for 2021, the recipient of the College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Teaching Award for 2022, the recipient of the 2023 Rev. Dr. Michael Combs Award for Scholars of Equality and Justice, and the recipient of UNL's first annual Women’s and Gender Justice Award in 2023. Hasan’s numerous national and international conference paper presentations include papers presented at Harvard University, International Qur’anic Studies Association, Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, The University of Münster (Germany), Al-Mahdi Institute (UK), Midwest American Academy of Religion, King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language, The University of Manchester (UK), International Law association, Southwest Commission on Religious Studies and The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT).

Hasan is a teacher, a researcher, and a public speaker. In addition to teaching for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Hasan’s course “Women in the Qur’an” was offered at the University of Maryland, Rutgers University, Penn State University (though DISC) and at the Nizwa University in Oman (through Nebraska’s Global Virtual Project). Dr. Hasan’s scholarly engagements include numerous national and international paper presentations, including 50 invited talks and more than 50 media interviews and citations.