Dr. (Mrs.) Ameena Cassim
Department of Arabic & Islamic Civilization
University of Peradeniya
Dr. (Mrs.) Ameena Cassim completed her PhD in 2009 in Arabic linguistics under the NCAS grant scheme at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). First started as a self-sponsored student, she immensely benefited from the NCAS grant to complete her studies. Titled as “Ibn Duraid’s Linguistic Explanation of Quranic Vocabulary and His Place in Linguistic Hermeneutics,” she conducted her research under the able supervision of Professor Abdul Razzak Al-Sa’adi of Iraq and Dr. Badri Najib Zubir of Malaysia.
Her thesis deals with the method employed by Ibn Duraid in analyzing Quranic vocabulary in his two important books, Jamharathul Lugha and al-Ishtiqaaq. She shows that Duraid’s interest in Quranic vocabulary was not limited to citation but delved into their morphological, syntactic and etymological structures. Her thesis endeavors to prove that the existence of these and other components in Duraid’s two books make them valuable references in the field of hermeneutic linguistics in addition to their lexical value. This aspect has never been previously assessed or analyzed.
Dr. Cassim as a qualified Senior Lecturer in Arabic at the University of Peradeniya believes that now the university can resume a higher degree programme in Arabic after a lapse of many years.