Issa Ziddy is an associate professor of religious education at the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA). He obtained his PhD in curriculum development & methodology of teaching from the International University of Africa in Khartoum, Sudan. His research and publications in Arabic, Swahili, and English concern the history of Islamic education in Zanzibar, Muslim-Christian relations, Gulf-Zanzibar connections, and Islamic teachings on current issues. He was a visiting scholar in Islamic studies at the University of Leipzig, Institute of Oriental Studies in Germany, Bayreuth University in Germany, and in Northwest College in Wyoming through the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program. He has partnered with the government and organizations in Zanzibar seeking to bring Islamic leaders into their work in educating communities on pressing current issues, including gender-based violence, family planning, and positive discipline for children in homes and schools and environmental issues.