Timothy R. Furnish

My name is Timothy R. Furnish and I'm a Ph.D. in Islamic history (Ohio State, 2001) who works as a consultant, researcher and author on the topics of Islam, Mahdism, Jihadism, Shi`ism, other Islamic sects, the Caliphate and Eschatology in general. During the Reagan years I was an Arabic linguist in the 101st Airborne Division; later I was commissioned and trained as a (Christian) Army chaplain, although eventually opting for an academic, rather than a military-pastoral, career. My personal research specializations are Islamic eschatology (end of time beliefs), Mahdism, Islamic fundamentalism, jihadism, the Hidden Imam and how all of these relate to modern politics. I am also a huge J.R.R. Tolkien fan and writing, believe it or not, a new book on the military and political history of Middle-earth.

http://www.mahdiwatch.org/id1.html