Majid Naini

Majid Naini
Born	(1963-10-24) 24 October 1963 Isfahan, Iran
Education	Computer and Information Science and Technology
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania (PhD)
Occupation	Speaker, Professor, Author, Rumi Scholar, World Peace Advocate
Website	www.naini.net

Majid Naini (Persian: مجید نایینی) is a leading scholar of Rumi, the 13th century Persian mystic (Sufi).

Biography

Majid Naini was born on October 24, 1963 in Isfahan, Iran. Naini earned a B.S. in Electronics Engineering, Master’s Degree in Computer Science, and Ph.D. in Computer & Information Science & Technology^[1] from University of Pennsylvania.^[2] For most of the past 30 years Naini has been a Professor, Program Director, Laboratory Director, Department Chair, and University Dean at several universities throughout the world, such as University of Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Colorado, Florida, Oman, and Cairo in the fields of Computer Science, Engineering, and Information Technology. Naini has been a researcher and the designer of computer and information technology projects with multi-national corporations. He has obtained grants and contracts from funding organizations and industries for research and development of high-tech products.

Naini has lived and taught in seven continents. For over 30 years, Naini has been a student of mysticism, Sufism, poetry, literature, history, traditions and Islamic cultures. Naini is the foremost scholar of Rumi in the world.^[3]

Programs

Naini has been a keynote speaker at over 500 national and international conferences, seminars, workshops, symposia, and talk shows. In the U.S., he has presented workshops and lectures and spoke at the end of General Assembly on the occasion of Rumi's birthday at the United Nations.^[4]

Naini has spoken at numerous prestigious higher education institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Johns Hopkins University, Yale University, George Washington University, Rutgers University, Stanford University, UCSD, UCLA, UCSB, Ventura College, Caltech, USC, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, John Carroll University, University of Tennessee, University of New Mexico, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, etc. Naini was honored as the distinguished keynote speaker for Rumi Shine for Peace at James Bridges Theatre at UCLA in a completely sold-out program including the Lian Ensemble.^[5] For Rumi’s 805th birthday, Naini was invited by University of Southern California for a very special Visions & Voices program in Bovard Auditorium. He spoke to a standing room only audience about Rumi’s life, discoveries, teachings, and magical prescription for world peace and harmony via Rumi’s astounding poetry^[6][7] Religious and cultural institutions that have hosted him include the Molana House,^[8] IMAN, Kashi Center,^[9] Chaplain Associations, Unity Churches, Science of Mind Centers, Milagro Center, and the Museum of Art and Science in Melbourne, in addition to cultural centers and organizations in the U.S. and throughout the world. Naini was the keynote speaker at Shiraz University School of Medical Sciences Alumni Association (SUSMA) annual conference in New Jersey, where he was honored for his career and efforts in spreading Rumi’s teachings and Iranian culture and heritage, and at the Iranian American Medical Association (IAMA).

Naini was honored by Florida's capital, Tallahassee, for his talk, "Rumi's Teachings on Global Peace and Harmony" at the Mayor's Summit for Race, Cultural, and Human Relations.^[10][11][12] Naini was invited as a keynote speaker at an international conference in Antalya and in Konya in honor of the Year of Rumi.^[13] Naini was later also honored to be invited as a keynote speaker by Turkey's government and the Mevlana International Foundation at the grand 737th anniversary of the passing of Rumi (shabe arus) in Konya, Turkey (the most important event honoring Rumi with around 100,000 people from all over the world traveling to Konya to memorialize him).^[14] In Iran, Naini was honored as the Special Keynote Speaker at the two-day Rumi Celebration of 2007 The Sun of Love (KHORSHIDE ESHGH) at the Niavaran Palace in Tehran.

Books and papers

Naini is the author of books and papers in the fields of science, technology, mysticism, and spirituality. Naini's book, “The Mysteries of the Universe and Rumi’s Discoveries on the Majestic Path of Love,” contains Naini’s own translations from Rumi’s original Persian texts. It has gained international recognition and is being translated into different languages including French, Spanish, German, Russian, and Persian. It has been widely read in Japan, Russia, Spain, France, England, Italy, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, U.S., Mexico, Austria, Brazil, Netherlands, Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran, Armenia, Australia, and many other countries. It is being used as a text and reference at many major universities and organizations throughout the world, including University of Pennsylvania, Hawaii Pacific University, Toki University, Kent State University, Rutgers University, City University of NY, Santa Monica College, University of Esfahan, St. Mary’s College, and many other spiritual centers, etc. This is the first book which looks at Rumi’s poetry from the perspective of science and technology.

Media coverage

Naini was also chosen from among all of the Rumi scholars in the U.S. by American composer Shawn Crouch^[15] to collaborate on a musical work, “The Garden of Paradise,” for which he selected and translated some of the most beautiful of Rumi’s poetry about love and peace. The Grammy Award winning ensemble Chanticleer performed this piece five times as part of their "Composer/Our Age" program in Berkeley, Santa Clara, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music in March, 2009. Naini has been featured in tens of thousands of newspapers, magazines, websites including San Francisco Chronicle, Sun-Sentinel, Tallahassee Democrat, Boca News, Penn Gazette, Huffington Post, Tehran Times, Iran Times, Willie Nelson’s website, Deepak Chopra’s Satellite Radio, Liz Sterling Talk Show, NBC, CNN, ITN Cable TV, Ettellaat, Keyhan Havai, Radio Farhang, Jam-e-Jam International TV, Pars Times, etc.,^{[16][17][18][19][20]} and TV and Radio shows world-wide, including a PBS program, *“Iran: A Celebration of Art and Culture,” hosted by the Emmy award winner and Oscar nominee Ms. Shohreh Aghdashloo, and an 18-part series, “Mysteries of the Universe” on an international TV station, and was featured on the international TV three-part special: Rumi Documentary for The Year Of Rumi (2007 UNESCO).

Naini was honored by a Malaysian magazine for a featured article about him and his work, for the section “The People Whom We Are Most Proud of,” and on the occasion of Rumi’s birthday to be invited to write an article which was carried on international flights.^[21] For Norooz, Mrs. Anousheh Ansari (astronaut) and Naini were selected from among all the Iranians in America and invited to write a full page article in Iran Times, the oldest and most widely circulated Iranian newspaper (Persian/English) in the U.S.^[22] Naini is also the main speaker and consultant for a documentary film and movie about Rumi which is being produced in California.

Naini frequently appears on numerous radio and TV shows, and he has had unique weekly radio and TV programs on Los Angeles stations about poetry, science, technology, and mysticism.^[23] Naini’s work is used by around half a million websites all over the world, and his work is cited and quoted by numerous websites, radio/TV programs, and printed materials.

Bibliography

• Couriel, Jonathan, "Can Rumi Save Us Now?" San Francisco Chronicle; April 1, 2007; pg. E-3^[24]
• Nelson, Willie, "Peace Through Love: Thank You Majid Naini"^[25]
• Reeves, Linda, "Mystic love - Delray Professor devotes himself to Rumi and Love's connection to God," South Florida Sun - Sentinel; Jul 12, 2002; pg. 3 .
• Pecquet, Julian, "Mayor's Summit Continues," Tallahassee Democrat; Oct. 31, 2006; pg. 1 (front page).
• Pecquet, Julian, "Poet's Message of Peace Resonates at Summit," Tallahassee Democrat; Oct. 31, 2006; pg. B-1.
• H.E. Ambassador Professor Ravan Farhadi Comments^[26]
• Pars Times^[27]
• Naini, Majid, "Rumi and Global Peace"^[28]
• Naini, Majid, "From Molana with Love" Iran Times; March 21, 2008; pg. 12 (full page).
• Chanticleer Press Release^[29]
• Naini, Majid, "N-Dimensions, Parallel Realities, and Their Relations to Human Perception and Development," Journal of Integrated Design & Process Science, Vol. 13, No.1, pp. 49–61, Mar 2009.^[30]
• Naini, Majid “A new transdisciplinary paradigm in relation to the latest discoveries in science and technology,” Journal of Integrated Systems, Design, and Process Science, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 1–11, Mar 2008^[31]
• Iran: A Celebration of Art and Culture - PBS special^[32]

External links

• Naini's website

References