Abstract This article presents the findings of the first comparative sociological study of the Iranian university al-Mustafa (AMU) across selected cities in Britain, Italy, Germany, and Denmark. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and semi-structured interviews conducted between 2018 and 2025, it addresses two interrelated questions: First, how is AMU positioned within the complex landscape of European-based Shia educational institutions? Second, which key variables influence its operations in these cities? The first question is addressed by demonstrating how AMU situates itself within a hierarchical knowledge supply chain linking West and South Asia to Europe. In response to the second question, the article identifies four main variables shaping AMU’s functioning in the European context: the age and size of local Shia communities, the role of European languages, the presence of competing institutions, and, most crucially, Iran’s relationship with Europe.
Minoo Mirshahvalad (Wed,) studied this question.
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