Professor & Head of the Dept. of Economics

Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq

Economist, researcher, and Islamic finance scholar with 40+ years of global academic leadership across the United States, Middle East, and South Asia.

Years in Academia

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Islamica 500 Rank

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Institutions Served

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Courses Taught

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About Dr. Farooq

Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq is an accomplished economist with special expertise in economic development, financial markets, Islamic economics and finance, and financial technology. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee and completed post-doctoral research as a Ciriacy-Wantrup Fellow at UC Berkeley.

Currently serving as Professor & Head of the Department of Economics at United International University, Bangladesh and concurrently as Director of the Institute of Islamic Banking Finance and Economics, he has built a distinguished career spanning the USA, Bahrain, and Bangladesh.

🏆 Ranked among the 500 most influential people shaping the global Islamic economy — #190 in 2018 and #210 in 2017, Islamica 500.

Author of Toward Our Reformation: From Legalism to Value-oriented Islamic Law and Jurisprudence (2011) and a prolific contributor to academic journals. His work is shaped by a humanity-oriented, bridge-building perspective informed by Islamic values.

Credentials & Certifications

FinTech – Harvard Certificate Program

Foundations & Applications · 2024

FinTech – Wharton, UPenn

Foundations & Applications · 2023

Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE)

Educational Technology

Systems Thinking Practitioner (IGCLC)

Whole Systems Thinking: CEO Level

Board of Advisers

Islamic Economics Project

Professional Journey

Over four decades of teaching, research, and institutional leadership worldwide.

Director (Contract)

Institute of Islamic Banking Finance and Economics
Dhaka, Bangladesh

Oct 2024 – Present

Professor & Head

Department of Economics
United International University, Bangladesh

Sep 2023 – Present

Associate Professor

Economics and Finance
Gulf University, Bahrain

Aug 2021 – Aug 2023

Associate Professor

Economics and Finance
University of Bahrain, Bahrain

Sep 2014 – Jun 2021

Head

Center for Islamic Finance
Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF)

Sep 2010 – Jan 2013

Associate Professor & Acting Dean

Faculty of Business
Royal University for Women, Bahrain

Sep 2008 – Aug 2010

Associate Professor

Economics and Finance
Upper Iowa University - Fayette, Iowa, USA

Aug 1995 – Aug 2008

Associate Professor

Economics and Finance
Iowa Wesleyan College - Mount Pleasant, Iowa, USA

1992 – 1995

Assistant Professor

Economics
Western Illinois University - Macomb, Illinois, USA

Sep 1989 – 1992

Ciriacy-Wantrup Postdoctoral Fellow

University of California, Berkeley
Energy & Resources Group

1988 – 1989