Ahmad Kutty

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Ahmad Kutty is a prominent North American Islamic scholar. He was born in the Indian state of Kerala in 1946. He arrived in Canada in the 1970’s as a student and has since obtained Canadian citizenship. Kutty made international headlines when he and Imam Abdul Hamid were detained and thrown in a Fort Lauderdale jail on September 11, 2003 while attempting to enter the United States. The two were travelling to speak at an Islamic conference. He is a well-known scholar, preacher and speaker on Islam and Muslims. Ironically, among the themes to be discussed at the conference was the dangers of Islamic fanaticism. After returning to Canadian soil Kutty asked:

"But if the American immigration officials can go after me and Hamid who are well-known for preaching moderation, what happens to ordinary Muslims?" note

Kutty was one of the 120 imams across Canada who signed a statement condemning acts of terrorism. The statement coordinated by the Canadian Council on American Islamic Relations read:

“Anyone who claims to be a Muslim and participates in any way in the taking of innocent life is betraying the very spirit and letter of Islam,” note

Kutty graduated in the traditional Islamic sciences and received the Ijazah (title) of al-Faqih fi al-ddeen (first rank) from Islamiya College Santapuram, a leading Islamic institution in south India. He then obtained his Licentiate in Usul al-Ddeen (first rank) from the Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia. In 1972 he earned an M.A. in Islamic studies from the University of Toronto. From 1975 to 1980 he was a Ph.D. candidate in Shari’ah thought at McGill University.

Kutty has served on the Fiqh Council of North America, the pre-eminent Islamic law body on the continent. He has served as Imam and scholar at various institutions in Montreal and Toronto, including Jami Mosque and the Islamic Foundation of Toronto. He is currently resident scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto.

Kutty is a prolific writer and has written a number of articles, books and journal articles. He is a regular scholar answering Islamic law questions on Islam Online.

In addition to his participation in lectures, seminars and interfaith dialogue in North America, Kutty is invited as a guest speaker in various functions throughout the world.