Biography
Questions worth
working through.
Mostafa Zandkarimi is a writer, editor, and founder of Midah, an independent publication bringing together essays, interviews, commentary, and poetry. A first-year Social Sciences student at the University of Toronto, he writes about faith, political disagreement, and the relationship between law, technology, and moral responsibility. His work is guided by a recurring question: how should people examine the beliefs and institutions that shape their lives?
Zandkarimi established Midah after sustained debate led him to reconsider many of his own convictions. Beginning in high school, regular Sunday discussions and conversations online brought him into arguments about free will, religion, abortion, and politics. Changing his mind became central to his understanding of intellectual responsibility. Midah developed from that experience, with the aim of giving writers a place to examine difficult questions, engage competing perspectives, and approach disagreement with a commitment to objectivity and nuance. His earlier essays appeared on Academia.edu under the name MZ Papers.
Raised in Iran before moving to Canada, Zandkarimi grew up with religion and law as part of everyday conversation. His mother, a Qur'an teacher, encouraged him to ask questions and understand what he believed; his father, a criminal defence lawyer, helped shape his interest in legal institutions and the importance of personal relationships. His mother's emphasis on kindness, respect for others' work, and the lasting consequences of one's actions remains a formative influence on his writing and outlook.
He identifies as Muslim without a Sunni or Shia affiliation and approaches faith through philosophical inquiry and attention to historical context. An early essay on abortion brought theological reasoning into conversation with reproductive autonomy, establishing an interest in how religious arguments inform public life. His intention in naming Midah was to create a point of connection across Iranian, Arab, Greek, and Jewish communities and encourage discussion across religious and cultural boundaries.
At the University of Toronto, Zandkarimi's coursework spans artificial intelligence, philosophy, and politics. He cites MUN160, Digital and Algorithmic Disruptions, taught by Aaron Gluck-Thaler, as an important influence on his interest in technology and public policy. He hopes to deepen his involvement with the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy through opportunities concerning AI, law, and governance. His academic interests include Public Policy, Ethics, Society & Law, and Contemporary Asian Studies. He serves as a Junior Representative of the Contemporary Asian Studies Student Union and is a pledge of Phi Gamma Delta.
He is developing two long-form projects. Super Law: The Principles of Artificial Intelligence, Conduct and Responsibility is a proposed research book examining how legal responsibility should be understood as AI becomes more deeply involved in institutional decisions, including criminal justice. Building on an early interest in programming and game development, he plans to combine research with interviews about the development, use, and governance of AI. God: Logical Proof and the Natural Religion explores causation, contingency, necessary existence, and the foundations of moral obligation, drawing on Avicenna and other philosophical traditions. Both projects remain in development.
His experience organizing discussion also extends to student leadership. At Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, he co-founded a Model United Nations club with another student and helped grow it from two founding members to 72 registered members by its second year. His distinctions include multiple Best Delegate awards, including recognition at Canada Model United Nations, and the Amir Morhadi Award at HTSMUN V. The latter recognizes command of an assigned role, originality in debate, and the ability to develop detailed solutions and build committee support.
In summer 2026, he served as an Assistant Unit Head at The Ivy Day Camp. Working under the unit heads, he helped supervise a unit comprising 60 staff members and 170 campers. The position involved working with staff who were often older than he was and exercising responsibility within a larger leadership team.
Zandkarimi develops his writing through reading, spoken drafts, debate, and correspondence with professors and other thinkers. Working through arguments aloud is a central part of his process, followed by revision on the page. He also writes poetry and is interested in the place of creative expression in a society increasingly shaped by automation.
He intends to pursue a legal career while continuing to write and publish. Through Midah, he aims to give young writers a place to contribute their ideas, encounter informed criticism, and participate in public discussion. His broader ambition is to bring careful argument, intellectual independence, and a willingness to reconsider into the institutions and conversations he joins.
Biography aligned with the published Midah profile, updated 2026-10-22.
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