Soheib Bencheikh studied Theology at the Al-Azhar Islamic university in Cairo and holds a Doctorate in Religious Sciences from la Sorbonne (EPHE). In 1995 Imam Bencheikh became the grand mufti of Marseille where he founded in 2005 the Superior Institute of islamic Studies. He is now with the Centre de Recherches d’Anthropologie Sociale et et Culturelle in Oran (Algeria) focusing on the historical criticism methods in apprehending Islamic texts.
