Joel Hayward

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Joel Hayward (born 27 May 1964 in Christchurch, New Zealand) is a New Zealand-born British scholar and writer who works in history, strategic studies, Islamic studies and leadership. He studied at the University of Canterbury, earning a BA in Classics and History in 1991, an MA on Holocaust historiography, and a PhD in 1996 on Luftwaffe operations in World War II. His early academic career included teaching at Massey University and work with military education programs in New Zealand.

In the United Kingdom, Hayward led the Air Power Studies Division at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell (2005) and was appointed Dean of the RAF College Cranwell in 2007. He later moved to Khalifa University in the United Arab Emirates, where he became Professor of International and Civil Security, Chair of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Director of the Institute for International and Civil Security. He also served as Dean of the Sycamore Leadership Academy in Istanbul and is a member of the management board of the Association of British Muslims, where he focuses on leadership and academic affairs. He has tutored Prince William in the past.

Hayward is a prolific author, focusing on air power, strategy, leadership, and Islamic perspectives on war. His works include Stopped at Stalingrad, The Warrior Prophet: Muhammad and War, The Leadership of Muhammad, Air Power, Insurgency and the War on Terror, and other books and articles. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Society of Arts. He has been listed among The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, and his book The Leadership of Muhammad won the Best International Non-Fiction award at the 2021 Sharjah International Book Awards. In 2025, his The Warrior Prophet won an International Author Excellence Award.

Hayward converted to Islam in 2005 and has worked on anti-extremism initiatives, including with Minhaj-ul-Quran. He has spoken about the Holocaust as one of history’s gravest crimes and has defended his scholarly methods, while acknowledging past concerns over his master’s thesis. In 2013 he won a libel case against The Mail on Sunday and The Daily Mail, receiving a retraction, apology, and damages. His career spans academia, military education, interfaith engagement, and public scholarship, and he continues to publish and teach on history, security, and Islamic studies.