Brookings Partners with
American University and Pew Forum to Launch Initiative
Washington, DC: American University’s
School of International Service, the Saban Center for Middle
East Policy at the Brookings Institution, and the Pew Forum
on Religion & Public Life are have announced the launch
of a new joint initiative: Islam in the Age of Globalization.
“Islam in the Age of Globalization” recognizes
the dual challenges the United States faces in its relations
with the Muslim world and in addressing the role of religion
in twenty-first century world politics. It will explore
the question of “Who speaks for Islam?” in an
era of globalization. That is, the research project will
examine how authority within Islam is legitimated in the
modern Muslim world; how leaders establish their authority,
especially in relation to divine texts; public reception
of leaders claiming to speak for divine texts; and the effect
of such issues on politics and policy.
“You can’t understand the future direction of
Islam without understanding who speaks for Islam,”
remarked Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum. “Questions
of legitimacy and authority bear on a wide array of policy
issues facing the US in its relations with the Muslim world
-- issues such as democracy, reform, public diplomacy and
the battle against terrorism.”
Louis Goodman, dean of American University’s School
of International Service, added, “This project will
help policy-makers, scholars, and citizens comprehend the
diversity of Islam as well as how to create positive outcomes
from the multi-logue which has intensified exponentially
since 9/11.”
The initiative will function under the auspices of the Brookings
Project on US Policy towards the Islamic World, housed within
the Saban Center, and will be developed in partnership with
the Pew Forum and American University. Prof. Akbar Ahmed,
the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies and professor of
international relations at American University, will serve
as the principal investigator for the initiative and will
also join Brookings as a nonresident senior fellow.
Dr. Ahmed has a distinguished career marked by service as
an anthropologist, civil servant, diplomat, filmmaker, and
participant in interfaith dialogue. A former High Commissioner
of Pakistan to Great Britain, he has been described by the
BBC as “the world’s leading authority on contemporary
Islam.” Together with Judea Pearl, Ahmed leads the
Daniel Pearl Dialogue for Muslim-Jewish Understanding. The
recipient of multiple teaching and scholarship awards, including
2004 Professor of the Year for Washington, DC by the Carnegie
Foundation, he was honored earlier this year at the National
Cathedral in Washington, DC for his years of interfaith
work.
Dr. Peter W. Singer, Brookings senior fellow and director
of the Project on US Policy Towards the Islamic World, commented,
“The combination of Akbar’s academic research
on Islam and globalization, his governmental service, and
his dedication to interfaith outreach and scholarship makes
him a valuable addition to the program.”
Ahmed holds a PhD in sociology and anthropology from the
School of Oriental and African Studies at the University
of London. He has authored or edited over ten books, including
Discovering Islam: Making Sense of Muslim History and Society;
Postmodernism and Islam: Predicament and Promise; and Islam
Under Siege: Living Dangerously in a Post-Honor World. He
also produced a “Jinnah quartet,” consisting
of a documentary, feature film, graphic novel, and non-fiction
book on Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
About the Initiative
Partners:
American University’s School of International Service
is the largest school of international affairs in the United
States. Its Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies was established
in 1981 to create broader understanding of Islam among Muslims
and non-Muslims.
The Brookings Institution, one of Washington’s oldest
think tanks, is an independent, nonpartisan organization
devoted to research, analysis, and public education. The
Brookings Project on US Policy Towards the Islamic World,
housed under the auspices of the Saban Center for Middle
East Policy, seeks to examine how the United States can
reconcile its need to defeat terrorism and reduce the appeal
of extremist movements with its need to build more positive
relations with Muslim states and communities.
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life delivers timely,
impartial information to national opinion leaders on issues
at the intersection of religion and public affairs; it also
serves as a neutral venue for discussions of those matters.
The Forum is a project of the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan
“fact tank” that provides information on the
issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.
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