- Cultural history
- Digital humanities
- Literary translation
- Reception theory
- Renaissance and early听modern literature, especially Milton and Shakespeare
In听addition to听literature and history, Islam's听research听touches on several听disciplines including cultural studies, media, music, philosophy, theology, and visual art.
Islam's听renowned exhibition, Stories of Sacrifice, had over听50,000 visitors, won numerous awards, and its findings were monumental, the Discovery Channel reporting that "Issa more than doubled the previously estimated figure of [Muslim WW1] soldiers after trawling through thousands of personal letters, historic archives, regimental diaries and census reports鈥�. Its research informed the diversity and inclusion strategies of the British Armed Forces and Greater Manchester Police, and is used听by schoolteachers nationally, as demonstrated in his听4* impact case听study (REF 2021).
Books
Alexandria: The City that Changed the World听(, 2023; , 2024). 听听Winner of the Runciman Award.听 听The Times, Sunday Times, TLS, Booklist, Epoch Times, Athens Voice, and听Waterstones听Book of the Year. 听 Translated into six languages (, ,听, Portuguese, Spanish, and Turkish).
(Oxford University Press, 2023).听[ed. with Angelica Duran]听 听Winner of the Milton Society of America's Irene Samuel Award.
听(Routledge, 2021).
听(Palgrave Macmillan, 2018); paperback 2019. [ed. with David Currell]
听(Oxford University Press, 2017). [ed. with Angelica Duran and Jonathan Olson]听 听Winner of the Milton Society of America's Irene Samuel Award.
听(Routledge, 2016); paperback 2018.听听听Winner of the Milton Society of America's Outstanding First Book Award.
Journal Articles
鈥�鈥�,听Cankaya Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences听18.1 (2024).
鈥溾��,听Milton Studies听63.1 (2021).
鈥淩ethinking Islamophobia: From Renaissance to World War One鈥�,听Oxford Islamic Studies Online听3.1 (2020). [with Imran听Awan]
"'鈥�, The Muslim World, 108.3 (2018), 367-386. [with Imran Awan]
鈥溾��,听Times Literary Supplement 5981 (2017).听
鈥溾��, SEL Studies in English Literature 1500-1900, 55.1 (2015), 197-214.
鈥溾��, English Studies, 96.1 (2015), 82-101.
鈥溾��, Milton Quarterly, 46.4 (2012), 219鈥�32.听听听Winner of the Michael K. O鈥橰ourke PhD Best Publication Award (2013).
Book Chapters
鈥淭he Synergies of Drawing and Painting听Paradise Lost鈥�, in听Milton Across Borders and Media, eds. Islam Issa and Angelica Duran (Oxford University Press, 2023). 摆飞颈迟丑听Richard Kenton Webb and Angelica Duran]
鈥淢ilton Lost and Regained in Turkey鈥�, in听Milton Across Borders and Media, eds. Islam Issa and Angelica Duran (Oxford University Press, 2023). [with Mustafa Kirca, Hasan Baktir, Murat Ogutcu, and Angelica Duran]
鈥淚ntroduction: 鈥楾he meaning not the name鈥欌��, in听Milton Across Borders and Media, eds. Islam Issa and Angelica Duran (Oxford University Press, 2023).听摆飞颈迟丑听Angelica Duran]
鈥淎ntony and Cleopatra in Arabic鈥�, in听, eds. Ewan Fernie and Tom Epps听(天美传媒: History West Midlands, 2022).听
"How literature shapes history鈥�, in听, eds. Helen Carr and Suzannah Lipscomb (London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 2021).
鈥淲hen Shakespeare travelled with me鈥�, in听听(London: Penguin / BBC Audio, 2021).
鈥�Rebel Angels: Milton, Epstein鈥檚听Lucifer,and the Kashmiri Sitter鈥�, in听, eds. Angelica Duran and Mario Murgia (London: Lexington Books, 2021). [with Matthew Geary]
鈥淢ilton鈥檚 Areopagitica in the Arab World Today鈥�, in , eds. David Currell and Fran莽ois-Xavier Gleyzon (New York: Routledge, 2018).
鈥溾�楳ilton! Thou Shouldst Be Living in These Media鈥欌��, in Digital Milton, eds. David Currell and Islam Issa (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). [with David Currell]
鈥淭he Online Revolution: Milton and the Internet in the Middle East鈥�, in Digital Milton, eds. David Currell and Islam Issa (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018).
鈥淧aradise Lost in Arabic: Images, Style, and Technique鈥�, in Milton in Translation, eds. Angelica Duran, Islam Issa and Jonathan Olson (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017).
鈥淔rom 鈥楥ambalu鈥� to 鈥楨l Dorado鈥欌�� (with Angelica Duran), in Milton in Translation, eds. Angelica Duran, Islam Issa and Jonathan Olson (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017). [with Angelica Duran]
鈥淢ilton鈥檚 Global Impact: the Arabic-Speaking World鈥�, in , ed. Thomas Corns (Oxford: Wiley Blackwell, 2016).
鈥淥ur Relationship with the Nile Today: A Consideration Through Romantic Poetry鈥�, in Translation and Cultural Identity, ed. Mahmud Didamuny (Cairo: Hemmat Lashin Center for Culture & Creativity, 2014).
Exhibitions
Sole Researcher and Curator: "Stories of Sacrifice" 鈥� the first exhibition devoted to the Muslim contribution to World War One, British Muslim Heritage Centre, Manchester (January 2016 鈥� January 2018).听听听Winner of the听Times Higher Education Awards 'Research Project of the Year: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences';听the Muslim News Awards 'Excellence in Community Relations Prize'; the Manchester Culture Awards 鈥楬ighly Commended Exhibition鈥�.听Exhibition tour includes: Greater Manchester Police HQ; Manchester Central Library.听VIP visitors include: HRH King Charles III; General Sir Nick Carter (Chief of UK Army); Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London).听
Content Curator and Academic Advisor: "", Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon (May 2017 鈥� September 2018).听Exhibition tour includes: Royal 天美传媒 Conservatoire.
Sole Researcher and Curator: "", Shakespeare Centre/Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (April 2018).
Magazine/Newspaper Articles (selected)
鈥�Islam Issa on an influential medieval treatise on the study of history鈥�,听(August 2025).
鈥�Egypt鈥檚 great pyramids at Giza weren鈥檛 built by foreign slaves鈥�,听(June 2025).
鈥�鈥�,听(May 2025), feature length.
鈥淲here is Alexander the Great鈥檚 tomb? Closer than many people think鈥�,听(January 2025).
鈥�鈥�, BBC History Magazine (December 2024), feature length.
鈥�鈥�, BBC History Magazine (March 2024), feature length.
鈥淛ulius Caesar and the drama of politics鈥�, BBC History Magazine (January 2024).
鈥�鈥�,听The New Statesman (October 2017).
鈥�鈥�, The Guardian (September 2017).
