I am Dr. Abaas Ali Shameli. I was born in Shahreza, a small town westward of beautiful Isfahan, a central province in the Islamic Republic of Iran. I am gifted by Allah (s.w.t) with three children, two daughters (Raziah and Fatimah) and a son (Alireza). I have obtained my PhD in philosophy of education from McGill University located in Montreal, Canada in 1999.
I was lucky enough to be considered as an excellent graduate from my department and therefore, I was put on Dean’s honor list in that year for this degree. My PhD dissertation was on culture and values development with a title as: Toward An Islamic Model of Culture & Values Development: A Study of Ayatullāh Sadr’s Theory.
Before obtaing my PhD, I was pursuing my graduate studies in two integrated fields. I obtained two MA_s. My first M.A is in philosophical psychology and the second one in developmental psychology. The latter was obtained through studies and research in Iran. The result of this research was my contribution (two chapters) in providing two volumes in developmental psychology with an Islamic approach. This one stays as a university text book from 1983 in Iran
My former MA resulted in writting a thesis as: The Soul-Body Problem in The Philosophical Psychology of Mullã adrã and Ibn Sinã. I fulfilled the second one in Canada at McGill and the first one in Iran at Bagher al-Uloom Foundation in Qum. To provide a clearer image about my MA and PhD, I prefer to invite you to have a glance on the abstracts of these two theses as following:

M.A. Thesis ABSTRACT

Author: Abbas Ali Shameli

Title: The Soul-Body Problem in The Philosophical Psychology of Mullã adrã and Ibn Sþnã

Degree: M.A. dissertation

Department: Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University

Date & Place: Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1995

Pages: 218

This thesis will partly compare the approaches of two pioneers in Islamic philosophy to the soul-body problem: the philosophical psychology of Mullã adrã (adr al-Muta'allihīn Shīrāzī 975-1050/1571-1640) and that of Ibn Sīnā (370-428/980-1037). Our main concern will be with the former, the founder of "transcendent theosophy", particularly his ideas regarding the corporeal generation of human soul.
A brief historical background of the problem is presented in the first chapter. In order to evaluate the real philosophical value of Mullā adrā's doctrine, the thesis will investigate the soundness of Mullā adrā's novel psychological findings. "Substantial motion" (al-ªarakah al-jawharyyah) and the "gradation of existence" (al-tashkīk fī marātib al-wujūd) are the two main philosophical principles formulated and implied by our philosopher regarding the elaboration of his theory on the soul's developmental process.

In my study, I discuss the nature of the soul-body relationship, the evidence that indicates their mutual interaction, and finally, the various forms of this relationship. In the final chapter, we focus on the developmental process of the soul's substantial motion up to the stage of union with the active intellect. Our analytical discussion is centered on whether or not the theory of the corporeality of the soul's generation yields a meaningful conception of the soul's evolution from materiality to immateriality.
Considering the serious challenges and unsolved difficulties that still remain, it is an open question whether adrā's theory, particularly its emphasis on the corporeality of the soul's generation, can adequately account for the soul's developmental process up to the stage of unity with the world of intellects.

Ph.D. Abstract

Author: Abbas Ali Shameli

Title: Toward An Islamic Model of Culture & Values Development: A Study of Ayatullah Sadr’s Theory

Department: Culture and Values in Education

Degree: Ph.D.

Department: Culture & Values in Education

University: McGill, Montreal, Canada. 1999

Development and social change have been the common challenge of both developed and developing nations. Investigators of development and social change to meet these challenges have proposed various models. However, such models are inevitably associated with particular patterns of culture and values. It must therefore be recognized that development cannot be value-free and measured only in economic terms or based on European standards; rather development must be value-laden and correspond with a nation’s history, culture and aspirations. At the same time, few development models have dealt with the dimension of culture and values.
Dissatisfied with Western models of development, Muslim thinkers have attempted to build an Islamic model which expresses Islamic values and aspirations. In this thesis I explore and design a model based on the writings of ‹yatullŒh Sayyid Muªammad BŒqir al-Òadr, whose thought seems particularly comprehensive and relevant to the modern world. My discussion begins with a synthesis and critique of a variety of Western models, both modern and post-modern, from an Islamic point of view. I then investigate and discuss Sadr’s theory of culture and values development, focusing on the challenge of human inner conflict and his typology of human values formation.
Sadr’s key concern is to shift the focus of development from a macro-social to the micro-individual level. An Islamic model of development, as Sadr sets out, is first and foremost one for human values development. For Sadr, culture and values development must precede any other kind of development for a Muslim society, where the practice of Islamic values is a way of life and a journey towards God. Values education then should be prophetic education which focuses on teaching people how to develop themselves and accordingly to reach God. Sadr also argues that economic development cannot be obtained without the establishment of social justice. The establishment of the latter should be based on culture and values development, which profoundly relates to the resolution of human inner values conflicts.
The project also evaluates different models in the light of the one proposed by Sadr, and discusses numerous challenges and dilemmas facing Islamic societies in the global environment and in the post-modern questioning of permanent values. Next, I will examine gender and development, an important issue not explicitly addressed by Sadr. In this chapter, I have indicated that sexual values development is of critical importance to the success of any development program, which in turn depends upon a sexuality education that teaches God-centered self-control.
I will close this dissertation with a chapter examining some of the educational challenges posed by culture and values development in Post-Revolutionary Iran.

Beside this career I have studied as a Hawzawi student in Ilmiyyah Seminary of Qum for 21 years. Through this second career I was able to pass three major levels of studies in Hawzah namely: introductory, intermediate and higher level which is known as Dars-i Khārij.
This trend was dedicated to research and studies in various fields of Islamic Studies. The more highlighted one was jurisprudent and the priciples of jurisprudent which is regarded as a necessary tool for extracting the divine rules from the main Islamic references. Because of my invovlment for the first career, I was only able to get two BA_s. The first one in Islamic Studies and the second one in Islamic Law. Although I have finished my studies in Hawzah, I was not able to pursue my studies in Fiqh and provide the requirements for obtaining higher degree’s in this field.

Education

1976 High School

1981 Two BA as Undergraduate degree from Elmiyyah Seminary, Qum

1986 Two Masters in Islamic Studies and Developmental Psychology

1991 Completed Advanced studies in Fiqh, Usul, Philosophy and Qur'an Exegesis

1995 Masters in Islamic Philosophy, McGill University, Montreal

1999 PhD in Philosophy of Education, McGill University

Research and Publications

1. Co-author of Developmental Psychology: An Islamic Approach. SAMT Organization, 1993. (university textbook)

2. 20 papers in different journals in Persian (1999-2005)

3. 22 term papers in English (1992-1999) – some published and presented in conferences

4. "Authorities in human values making" in: A Catholic-Shi`a Engagement: Faith & Reason in Theory and Practice, London: Melisende Publishing Ltd, 2006.

5. "From self development into social justice: Prophetic education within the Quran", Tehran: The Greatest Prophet & curriculum designing. International conference, 1386/2007.

7. "Ibn Sina's Proof of the Necessarily existent Being". Proofs for the Existence of God: Contexes- Structures-Relevence. Iup. Innsbruck University Press. 2008.

8. "The concept of abrogation in the holey Quran". In: Islamic Reference Series: Word of God. London: Institute of Islamic Studies. 2009. 111-128.

Teaching Experience

10 years at various university levels in fiqh, usul, philosophy, theology, developmental psychology

lectures inside and outside Iran: English and Persian among Shi'ite communities, particularly at the Islamic Centre of England

Islamic Jurisprudence at the Islamic College for Advanced Studies, UK.

My research interests presently involve me in a new process of Islamicization of humanities and social sciences in Iran. Since the 1980s Elmiyah Seminary of Qumm has initiated a project to educate students to prepare them to participate in this process of islamicization. My own role is in the field of psychology. I have been involved in the production of a two-volume university level textbook in developmental psychology from an Islamic perspective. It was published in Persian by SAMT Organization, in 1995. The LTA position would also allow me to pursue my post-doctoral research in this field through the Faculty of Education at McGill.
In terms of my teaching philosophy, it is my serious concern to provide sound and reliable information about Islamic teachings to my students. At the same time, as an expert in Islamic studies and philosophy of education who has experienced both secular and Islamic approaches to education in two very different environments, I am also concerned about maintaining objectivity. My goal is to strengthen student knowledge and awareness of Islam. I also believe that an important aspect of higher education is interaction and exchange between students and professors through which both together try to come up with new findings and ways of enriching the path of human knowledge.
My teaching interests are broadly dispersed within the field of Islamic studies and include an inter-disciplinary approach. I am prepared to teach Islamic theology, jurisprudence, philosophy, moral values, mysticism, and gender issues in Islam, as well as general courses in Sunni and Shi'ite Islam.

Abbas Ali Shameli (PhD)

Department of Philosophy of Education

Amin Blvd., Jomhoori Islami Blvd.,

The Imam Khomeini Institute for Education & Research

Iran, The holy city of Qum

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Min Allah al-Tafiq wa Alayhi al-Takelaan