M. A. Muqtedar Khan
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M. A. Muqtedar Khan (b. 1966) is presently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Delaware. Prior to that he was Chair of the Department of Political Science and the Director of International Studies at Adrian College. He is a Non-resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He earned his Ph.D. in international relations, political philosophy, and Islamic political thought, from Georgetown University in May 2000.
He is a well known Muslim intellectual, whose articles and columns are widely published. He is a proponent of social change regarding treatment of women in some Islamic societies, but identifies himself as both traditional as well as liberal. In a sense he is a traditional scholar when it comes to issues of faith, but a liberal on topics such as democracy in the Islamic world, the place of women in society and on pluralism.[citation needed]
He advocates freedom of thought and independent thinking, and he states that it is the inability of Muslims to sustain a dialogue with time and text that sometimes makes Islamic teachings look anachronistic or even intolerant.
Khan is also associated with the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy and the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. He has been the President, Vice President and General Secretary of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists.
Khan frequently comments on BBC, CNN, FOX, VOA TV, NPR and other radio and TV networks. His political commentaries appear regularly in newspapers in over 20 countries. He has also lectured in North America, East Asia, Middle East and Europe .
Khan is from Hyderabad, India. He is married to Reshma and has a son Rumi, and a daughter Ruhi.
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[edit] Praise and controversy
Khan is admired by some for his critical thinking and for advancing a more moderate and liberal vision of Islam. He claims to be critical of radicalism and narrow conservatism within Islamic thought and also critical of Western foreign policies, racism and Islamophobia in the U.S. and the West. He is considerred a rising star among Muslim intellectuals by some[1], though this is not a widely held opinion.
Khan has also evoked considerable controversy as a result of some of his statements. Recently some Shi'a Muslims took strong exception to his comments regarding Ayatullah Sistani, where he compared him to Saddam Hussein, and suggested that Sistani was a dictator: He is however widely respected in the Shia community and has frequently given keynote addresses at various Shia annual conventions in New York and Washington DC. His articles are also published frequently in the Iranian media. Some members of the Shia community have also been critical of Khan because of his opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq.[2]
The US-led invasion of Iraq may have replaced an overt and brutal dictatorship by Saddam Hussein with a covert and subtle dictatorship buy the Marja-e-Taqleed, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani—the highest-ranking Shiite authority on the planet.[3]
Muqtedar Khan has also been criticized for his affiliation with the pro-Israeli Saban institute at the Brookings institute.
[edit] Quotes
"I remember telling my wife; maybe I will be our Henry Kissinger, the first Muslim to become the Secretary of State. Then came Bin Laden and his bloody men and along with the World Trade Center, American Muslim dreams and aspirations came crashing down."[4]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/10/06/d410061501110.htm
- ^ Khan, Muqtedar (2005-02-13). War Against Iraq: Illogical and Unethical. Retrieved on 2006-07-01.
- ^ Khan, Muqtedar (2005-02-13). Have Iraqis voted for a dictatorship?. Retrieved on 2006-07-01.
- ^ Muqtedar Khan. "American Muslims: In Search of the Third Way".
[edit] Bibliography
- American Muslims: Bridging Faith and Freedom (ISBN 1-59008-012-2, Amana, 2002)
- Jihad for Jerusalem: Identity and Strategy in International Relations (ISBN 0-275-98014-6, Praeger, 2004).
- Beyond Jihad and Crusade: Rethinking US policy in the Muslim World (ISBN 0-8157-4924-4, Brookings Institution, 2006)
- Islamic Democratic Discourse: Theory, Debates, and Philosophical Perspectives (ISBN 0-7391-0645-7, Lexington Books, 2006).
[edit] External links
- [1] - A Memo To Muqtedar Khan (a critique of Muqtedar Khan's politics
- glocaleye.org - Muqtedar Khan's Column on Global Affairs
- ijtihad.org - A collection of liberal articles on Islam
- [2] - Soft Voice, Strong Message
- [3] - A Liberal Muslim Goes to America
