Aslam Farouk-Alli completed a M.Soc.Sci at the University of Cape Town and lectured part-time in the faculties of religion, language and literature and historical studies. He also holds an MA in Arabic Translation from the University of South Africa (UNISA). He left the academy to pursue a career as a diplomat in the South African Civil Service. He is the author of numerous articles and this is his third Arabic monograph translation into English.