Born in the United Kingdom, Idris Tawfiq has a degree in English language and literature from the University of Manchester and a degree in sacred theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He also has a postgraduate certificate in education from the University of Manchester. He studied philosophy at the Pontifical Beda College in Rome and spent an additional year in Rome studying Catholic canon law.
Tawfiq has been teaching in different schools in the United Kingdom and Egypt for many years, he has been the head of religious education in several schools and manager of the learning support unit for difficult and disruptive pupils in a school. Before embracing Islam, Idris was a Roman Catholic priest. He has been a member of the Archdiocese of Cardiff's Working Party on Religious Education, the London Borough of Hammersmith, Fulham's Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education, and the Archdiocese of Southwark's Marriage Tribunal.
Tawfiq writes and speaks in a very gentle way about Islam, spirituality, and the Arab world. He always makes sure to point out that he is not an Islamic scholar, he has a simple way of explaining things about Islam. It is perhaps because of this that his writing appeals so directly to young people.
Tawfiq has considerable experience in leading retreats and in-service training for both students and adults and has spent a lot of time working with youth groups and student organizations. Whether speaking about Islam on television or radio, to small groups, or at the Cairo International Conference Center, Tawfiq uses this vast experience of dealing with ordinary people and explaining matters of faith to them to enliven his writing and style of speaking, making it both interesting and easy to understand. He especially tries to explain Islam to non-Muslims in the West. Al-Huda TV Channel has just completed a documentary program about his work and his journey to Islam.
He has written for newspapers and periodicals in the United Kingdom, he currently contributes to IslamOnline.net and The Middle East Times, he also writes a weekly column in Egyptian Mail, Egypt's oldest English-language newspaper, and Sawt Al-Azhar, the newspaper of Al-Azhar University. He is the author of The Road to Reconciliation (1984) and Gardens of Delight: A Simple Introduction to Islam (2005). He is currently writing a book about the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
Idris has a deep love for Egypt and its people. Stories and characters from Cairo often find their way into his writing. When asked why he chooses Egypt as a base from which to speak to people in the West about Islam rather than London, Idris replies that the culture and people of Egypt are a fertile source of inspiration for him. He now divides his time between Egypt and the United Kingdom as a teacher, speaker, and writer. You can visit his website at www.idristawfiq.com.
Born in the United Kingdom, Idris Tawfiq has a degree in English language and literature from the University of Manchester and a degree in sacred theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He also has a postgraduate certificate in education from the University of Manchester. He studied philosophy at the Pontifical Beda College in Rome and spent an additional year in Rome studying Catholic canon law.
