Akbar Ahmed

Akbar Salahuddin Ahmed

Akbar Salahuddin Ahmed, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, or Akbar Ahmed, is currently the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University in Washington, D.C., the First Distinguished Chair of Middle East and Islamic Studies at the US Naval Academy, Annapolis,^[1] and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.^[2] He is considered “the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam” by the BBC.^[3]

Ambassador Akbar Ahmed has advised world leaders including most recently General David Petraeus, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, and Secretary Michael Chertoff on Islam and foreign policy. He is regularly interviewed by CNN, CBS, BBC, and Fox News and has appeared several times on the Oprah Winfrey Show. He is the author of over a dozen award-winning books, including Discovering Islam (the basis for the BBC six-part TV series entitled “Living Islam”) and Journey into Islam; his books have been translated into many languages, including Chinese and Indonesian. His latest project based in extensive fieldwork has resulted in a full length documentary, Journey into America, which has been shown at several film festivals and the book, Journey into America; the Challenge of Islam (Brookings Press, June 2010).^[4] "A brilliant follow-up to Journey into Islam. Ahmed's insights should be required reading for anyone grappling with national security, national identity, and national cohesion in today s complex era." — Colonel David Kilcullen, author of The Accidental Guerrilla.^[5]

He joined the Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP), the elite cadre of the Central Superior Services of Pakistan in 1966, and held important posts in Pakistan and Bangladesh—including Commissioner, Quetta; Political Agent, South Waziristan Agency. He has also been the Ambassador from Pakistan to the UK.^[6]

Ambassador Ahmed is one of the world’s foremost anthropologists and was inducted into the legendary figures in Anthropology’s Hall of Fame as part of the "Anthropological Ancestors" audio-visual interview series at Cambridge University in July 2004. He has written extensively on the tribal areas of Pakistan, including his book Resistance and Control in Pakistan (1983), and the anthropology of Muslim societies. His most recent projects have been unprecedented large-scale anthropological studies and as one Harvard intellectual noted, he is “changing the face of anthropology.” ^[4]

A prolific author, he is also a playwright and three of his plays were staged in the DC area: "Noor", "The Trial of Dara Shikoh", and "From Waziristan to Washington: A Muslim at the Crossroads". Two plays, "Noor (play)" and "The Trial of Dara Shikoh", were published by Saqi Books in the summer of 2009.

Ambassador Akbar Ahmed has also been a leader in interfaith dialogue and tries to build bridges between civilizations. Along with Judea Pearl, father of slain journalist Daniel Pearl he has had public dialogues in an effort to dispel hate and ignorance. For their efforts they were awarded the prestigious Purpose Prize in 2007.

Ahmed has been Visiting Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and has taught at Princeton, Harvard and Cambridge Universities. Ahmed was awarded the Honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Liverpool, received his PhD at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University, MA and Diploma in Education from Cambridge University, and Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honors) from Birmingham University.

His current project, “Journey into America,” is an unprecedented study based in fieldwork of Muslims in America. It has resulted in a full length documentary, Journey into America, which has been shown at several film festivals and the book, Journey into America; the Challenge of Islam (Brookings Press, June 2010). The book is now available on Amazon. ^[7]

See numerous reviews/comments in the media, including Sally Quinn on her audio visual show “Divine Impulses”, former interviewees include Tony Blair and Richard Gere. ^[8]

• Foreign Policy’s review of Journey into America by Gerard Russell . Russell was in charge of the British government’s outreach to the Muslim world in 2001-2003. He is now an Afghanistan/Pakistan Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Carr Center for Human Rights. ^[9]

• Fox News interview on Journey into America. ^[10]

• On the Daily Show. ^[11]

• Voice of America on Journey. ^[12]

• U.S. Department of State on Journey. ^[13]

• The Washington Post video interview with Akbar Ahmed. ^[14]

• The Washington Post article, by Akbar Ahmed. ^[15]

• NPR on Journey. ^[16]

• The Huffington Post, by John Milewski. ^[17]

• The Huffington Post, by Frankie Martin. ^[18]

• The Washington Post, by Jeff Stein. ^[19]

• The book was discussed on BBC America and BBC World on May 31, at 7 pm, and again on June 10, at 12.15. ^[20]

• The U.K. Guardian Newspaper. ^[21]

• National Cathedral Review of Journey into America - by The Rev. Dr. Carol M. Flett, Interfaith Programs Coordinator Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C. ^[22]

• News Chanell 8 with Akbar Ahmed. ^[23]

• Review of Journey into America by Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, former Pakistani Ambassador to the UK and US. ^[24]

• Common Ground News Service on Journey. ^[25]

• Pakistan Link on Journey. ^[26]

1. Journey into America; the Challenge of Islam (Brookings Press, June 2010).^[27]
2. Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization, Brookings Press.
3. Knowledge: Why Civilizations Rise and Fall, with Amineh Hoti, under preparation, Polity Press, Cambridge.
4. After Terror: Promoting Dialogue Among Civilizations; Co-Edited by Brian Forst, Polity Press, 2005.
5. Islam Under Siege: Living Dangerously in a Post-Honor World; Polity Press, 2003.
6. The Future of Anthropology: Its Relevance to the Contemporary World; Co-Edited by Chris Shore, Athlone Press, 1999.
7. Islam Today: A Short Introduction to The Muslim World; I.B. Tauris, 1998.
8. Jinnah, Pakistan and Islamic Identity; Routledge, 1997.
9. Islam, Globalization and Postmodernity; Routledge, with Hastings Donnan, 1994.
10. Discovering Islam: Making Sense of Muslim History and Society; Routledge, 1993.
11. Postmodernism and Islam: Predicament and Promise; Routledge, 1992.
12. Resistance and Control in Pakistan; Routledge, 1991.
13. Pakistan: The Social Sciences' Perspective; Oxford University Press, 1990.
14. Toward Islamic Anthropology: Definition, Dogma, and Directions; Vanguard Books, 1987.
15. Religion and Politics in Muslim Society: Order and Conflict in Pakistan; Royal Book Co., 1987.
16. Pieces of Green, the Sociology of Change in Pakistan, 1964-1974; Royal Book Co., 1977.
17. Social and economic change in the Tribal Areas, 1972-1976; Oxford University Press, 1977.
18. Mataloona: Pukhto Proverbs, Oxford University Press, 1975.
19. Mansehra: A Journey, Ferozsons, Pakistan, 1973.

1. Noor (play), Saqi Books, London, 2009 • Part of the summer Festival at Theater J in Washington, DC in 2007
2. The Trial of Dara Shikoh, The Buxton Initiative, Washington DC, Pakistan Link, 2008 and Saqi Books, London, 2009
3. Waziristan to Washington: A Muslim at the Crossroads, a “memoire monologue” was first performed by Akbar Ahmed at the Washington DC, Jewish Community Center, Dialogues and Public Affairs, on August 22 and October 2, and the Katzen Arts Center on December 18, 2008, and at Theater J on March 23, 2009. ^[28]

1. “America has yet to grasp the cost of losing in Afghanistan”. Guardian Newspaper, October, 2009.^[29]
2. “Swat in the eye of the storm: Interview with Akbar Ahmed”. Anthropology Today, Volume 25 Issue 5, October, 2009.^[30]
3. “Islam in Today’s World: A Conversation with Akbar Ahmed”. Featured in Anthropology Today, Vol. 23, No. 1, in February 2007.
4. “Talking Can Stop Hate” was featured as the “Big Idea!” in AARP the Magazine, in the March/April 2007 issue.
5. “Bush Still Doesn’t Get It” featured in the Outlook section of the Washington Post July 22, 2007.

1. Ahmed regularly appears on CNN • CBC • BBC • ARY TV • CNBC • Night Line • Interfaith Voices, NPR .
2. Appeared three times on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
3. Appeared on the Sir David Frost Show (along with Lord Owen) on Al Jazeera.
4. Newsnight including for the Annual Review 2007.
5. Presented and narrated “Living Islam”, the six-part BBC television series, in 1993.
6. Presented “The Glories of Islamic Art”, the three-part television series for Channel 5, UK, broadcast in 2006.
7. Initiated, developed and completed “The Jinnah Quartet” – a feature film • a documentary • two books on M.A. Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
8. Consultant and interviewed for “Rumi Returning”, a major television film on the mystic poet.
9. Panelist with the new online feature, “On Faith,” for the Washington Post and Newsweek
10. “Encountering Islam”, Audio CD series, NowYouKnow Media, Washington DC.
11. Senior Advisor to an innovative on-line project for an Islamic syllabus for Jones Knowledge Inc.

• Awarded the Star of Excellence, one of Pakistan’s highest honors.
• Awarded Sir Percy Sykes Memorial Medal by the Royal Society for Asian Affairs in London.
• In 2005 the National Cathedral held a special Evensong Service to honor Ahmed.
• First Annual Bridge Builder’s Award, Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington.
• Humanitarian Award, the highest honor of the Chapel of Four Chaplains.
• The Professor of the Year Award for Washington DC by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (2004)
• The first Gandhi Center Fellowship of Peace Award.
• Invited to join the World Wisdom Council.
• Delivered the keynote address at the annual conference of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions at Monterrey, Mexico, September 23, 2007.
• Joined the Global Advisory Council of PlayPumps International (2008).
• Centennial Honorary Chair of the Washington National Cathedral Centennial Celebration (along with Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor).
• Trustee since 2001 of the World Faiths Development Dialogue set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the president of the World Bank.
• Trustee on the Board of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions.
• Founding member of the First Abrahamic Summit, Washington DC, and continues to be a member of the Abrahamic Roundtable, organized by the National Cathedral.
• Board of Directors, Hollings Center, and member, Abrahamic Program Advisory Committee, Chautauqua Institution.
• Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Hasan Family Foundation
• Senior Fellow of The Case Foundation.
• Spoke at the Chairman’s Distinguished Speakers Lecture Series at the Pentagon.
• Inaugural lectures for the first Chair in Jewish-Muslim Studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
• Along with Ambassador Doug Holladay founded the Buxton Initiative for Dialogue.
• Lectured at a World Affairs Council event along with Dick Cheney, Dr. Henry Kissinger and Bernard Lewis.
• Member of the host committee for Internews’ 25th anniversary celebration in May 2007.
• First muslim to lecture at the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC.

1. Principal Investigator for “Islam in the Age of Globalization”, a project supported by The Brookings Institution, American University and The Pew Research Center, and Visiting Fellow at Brookings in addition to his appointment at American University.
2. Along with Dr. Judea Pearl delivered the Keynote Address at the Greater Kansas City Festival of Faiths in The Village Church. November 2007.
3. Keynote Address at a Conference on “The Way Forward” at the Centre for Muslim-Jewish Relations, Cambridge.
4. Keynote Address at the 60th Anniversary of the Independence of India and Pakistan, hosted by the University of Southampton.
5. Special lecture at the London School of Economics and invited as an “expert” to address the All-Parties Committee on Terrorism at the House of Commons in the summer of 2007.
6. Keynote at the Drury University, Convention Series, 2007-08.
7. McMurrrin Lecture in Religion and Culture, University of Utah, Tanner Humanities Center, 2008-09.
8. President’s Distinguished Lecture at the University of Vermont in 2008.
9. Recommended Speaker of the World Affairs Council of America.
10. One of the 138 Muslim leaders who write to the Pope and other Christian leaders suggesting dialogue and one of the original signatories of the Muslim letter to Jewish leaders circulated in 2008.
11. Led a Muslim delegation to the Holocaust Museum in December 2006.
12. Attended President Ford’s funeral ceremony at the National Cathedral where he was part of the “Procession Order” as “Representative of Faith” escorting the casket, and delivered the invocation at the Mayor’s Inaugural Prayer Service in Washington DC.
13. Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Brookings.
14. Given the “Key” to the city of Houston and Portland, Maine, by the respective Mayors.
15. Member of the “Incident Management Team” for the Department of Homeland Security.
16. Mentioned in “Congressional Record – Proceedings and Debates of the 109th Congress, Second Session, Washington, Friday, September 29, 2006, House of Representatives: “Tribute to Dr. Judea Pearl and Dr. Akbar Ahmed”.
17. Along with Dr. Judea Pearl, Ahmed was finalist in the “Most Inspiring Person of the Year 2005” poll conducted by BeliefNet.
18. Awarded the first ever “Purpose Prize Award” in 2006.
19. Honored at the National Cathedral in the Fall.
20. Received the 2008 Rumi Peace and Dialogue Award.
21. Awarded the annual Abraham Joshua Herschel-Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Interfaith Activism on January 19, 2009, Park Avenue Christian Church, New York.

• Contemporary Islamic philosophy
• Islamism

• Faculty Biography at American University
• Official website at American University
• Articles on Islam by Professor Akbar S. Ahmad
• Interview with Professor Ahmed from the Foreign Correspondent, September 19, 2001
• "Islam and Freedom of Thought" by Akbar Ahmed and Lawrence Rosen
• "Five Years After 9/11, 'Dialogue' with Islam Cause for Hope": Q&A with Akbar Ahmed by Mark O'Keefe
• "Globalization in our Public Schools" by Akbar Ahmed posted 10/16/08
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