Ali Hussain

Ali Hussain was born in 1984 in Baghdad, Iraq, to an Iraqi father and Egyptian mother. After the First Gulf War in 1990, he migrated with his family to Jordan where he lived, in the capital Amman, for 6 years.

In 1997, he migrated once again with his parents to America, settling in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he continues to live today. After finishing high school in 2002, he obtained a Bachelors degree in Computer Science and Mathematics, followed by a Masters degree in Artificial Intelligence from Eastern Michigan University.

From 2012-2018, Ali completed a doctoral degree in Sufi Studies at the University of Michigan, Department of Middle Eastern Studies. His dissertation titled "Sainthood Between the Ineffable and Social Practice: Jesus Christ in the Writings of Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-'Arabi and Later Sufism" explores the depictions of Jesus in the writings of Sufi saints.

Alongside his academic career, Ali also devotes himself to creative writing and music. His first book, "The Mystical Musings of a Contemporary Dervish", consists of a series of essays and poetic reflections that discuss the importance of art and culture for a healthy spiritual life in modernity. His most recent publication, "The Souk of Nostalgia: A Childhood Between Rivers and Mountains" is the first of a three part autobiography that traces the author's childhood in Iraq and Jordan by focusing on the mystique of places and residences he lived in.

His musical interests involve a disciplined practice of the Oud, a Middle Eastern instrument, as well contemplative research into the metaphysical and spiritual dimensions of music. He shares these reflections on his web page "Nostalgic Remembrance: Art in Memoirs" on Facebook and Instagram, as well as many other blog entries on the Huffington Post.