About

Ph.D., Georgetown University; M.A., American University of Paris; B.S., M.S., University of Washington
Halla Attallah is an Assistant professor of religious studies, focusing on the Qur’an and early Islamic history through a gender- and disability-conscious lens. She enjoys teaching a range of classes on scriptural traditions, qur’anic and biblical stories, religion and embodiment, feminist approaches to scripture, and methods in reading religious texts. Attallah’s research examines embodiment in the Qur’an’s worldview. She is interested in how different bodies are used to shape various theological arguments central to both the Qur’an, as a historical text, and the later Muslim discourses. Her current work considers reproduction, infertility, and maternity in the Qur’an’s annunciation scenarios associated with Mary, Sarah, Abraham, and Zachariah. Recent and upcoming publications include “Surat Yusuf and the MeToo Movement: A Reflection,” “Disability Rhetoric and Ethics in the Qur’an’s Narratives: A Literary Analysis of Speech and Hearing in Q 21:51-72 and Q 20:9-41,” and “Mary and the Birth of Jesus.”

When not in her office, she can be found exploring coffee shops in Portland or hiking different trails around Maine with her family.