Imam Van Ael is the Muslim Chaplain at the London School of Economics, Imperial College & SOAS, London.
Born into an atheist Dutch family in 1976, he quickly grew disillusioned with the philosophical fallacies of Atheism and converted to Islam at the tender age of 18. He subsequently learnt and memorized the Qur'an in Sudan and studied Classical Arabic and other Islamic sciences in Belgium, Sudan, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. He received permission to teach Arabic grammar from the then Director of the Arabic language faculty at the University of Jordan.
Imam Van Ael is further authorized to teach the recitation styles of the Qur'an . He also holds a BA in Islamic Theology and is currently pursuing a MA in Mental Care from the Islamic University of Rotterdam.
As the Muslim Chaplain at three of the top universities in UK, Imam Van Ael provides support to thousands of young muslims who come from all over the world to study in London. Whether it’s a situation you'd like advice on or a personal issue that's affecting you mentally / spiritually / emotionally, the Imam is trained and experienced to support you. Not only is he learned, but his extremely approachable attitude is an invaluable resource to the community.
Named recently by The Muslim 500 as one of most influential muslims in the world, his teachings resonate amongst the emerging young urban muslim crowd making him a powerful, dynamic and credible voice for Islam in Europe.
